Dreams of Eternity
by Evil Neko
Summary: Something isn't right on Spira. When Tidus returns to Besaid with the newfound ability to see the dead, he starts to get nervous, but when Yuna is affected as well, they realize that they need serious help. But what can three "angels" do?
1. I never meant to cause you trouble

Disclaimer: FFX isn't mine. Nor are any of the characters in it. They belong to Squaresoft. But is the story mine? Hell yes.

Post-game fic. Spoilers. No duh.

*-.-*

I was in water. I usually was. No, actually, I always was. I could talk underwater, though, and I could breathe fine. I didn't even feel its difference from air anymore. 

I had been there for some indeterminable amount of time. There were usually other people there, around me, whom I talked to. Strangely enough, everyone there I knew from my life in Zanarkand. Auron was, as far as I could tell, the only person there who had lived somewhere other than the ancient metropolis. I was in a sea of dreams, an ocean of memories. We were all the same. We were all confused. None of us understood anything. Even I was confused. I didn't know where I was or why I was there. All I could do was tell my story to anyone who asked, once I remembered it.

I confused you just now, didn't I? By saying "once I remembered." Well, that's the truth. The first few days I was there I didn't know anything, couldn't remember anything about my life. I remembered that someone had died, and that it had been me, but I couldn't remember who the person was that I had called "me" was what my relationship with them was. I'm not sure exactly how long it took me to remember as much as I do. I'm still not clear on all of it. But the one thing I remembered most was a beautiful girl. I had scattered memories of long moments I spent staring into her dichromatic eyes, and an even clearer one of doing what I assumed was swimming with her, her brown hair floating lazily in the water, framing her face. She was always smiling, wearing a mask, but sometimes, obviously unbidden by the girl, the mask slipped away and her eyes were sad, hopeless, yet also strangely determined. She wore a long blue skirt that fell to just above her ankles and had been embroidered with flowers, a white shirt that wrapped around her chest and allowed her black bra to peek through in some places (not that I was looking, of course), and a thick yellow sash that I would soon find out it was called an obi. She haunted my dreams when I slept, a smile almost always in place across her lips. I could never remember her name, but I would awake with a start, her sweet, slightly shy smile haunting me. It wasn't until I told my father about her - we had become very close lately – that I finally learnt her name. He told me, quietly, his eyes not meeting mine, that she was called Yuna, and that I was lucky to have someone who could tell me the name of the woman I loved. I knew he was referring to the fact that he could no longer remember my mother's name.

As soon as he told me the mystery girl's name, the memories came rushing back. In a sudden rush I remembered all the fine points about her that I'd forgotten. How she could seem so sad at times, yet so carefree at others. The way her hair swished slightly when she walked. All the times she had sensed when I was sad, and had tried to cheer me up every time. But most of all, I flooded with the love I felt for her. I remembered that she was living, and that I was not. I remembered her last words to me, her last attempt at letting me know how she felt for me in my last moments on Spira, I remembered the pain in her voice when she told me. All these memories came to me at once, followed moments later by an unbearable pain.

I was telling you all a story, wasn't I? Anyways, it was what I can only imagine was a month after I remembered Yuna. I had had another dream about her, one that I had often: Our night at Lake Macalania, when we first kissed. It was such a happy moment for me, yet remembering it made me surprisingly sad. I didn't want to have to deal with me friends, so I went off alone. I swam through the water that imprisoned me in this alternate reality, kicking with all my strength, swimming as though against a great current.

After a while it began to feel like my arms and legs had turned into the water I was surrounded in. My muscles ached and burned, and a cramp was beginning to form in my side, but I swam on. There was a voice in my mind, whispering just on the edge of my consciousness, that wouldn't let me stop.

_Come on, _the voice urged quietly, _just a little further…_

So I followed it, until whatever it was that called to me was silenced. I curled up in a ball and, to my surprise, fell into a deep, exhausted, dreamless sleep. 

I woke up a few hours later, a strange strength filling me. I was happy, for some odd reason. Maybe it was because I hadn't dreamt of her this time. No painful memories. I uncurled myself, stretched, and began to swim upwards. A grin spread itself on my face as I realized that I was actually moving upwards (No matter how hard we try, nor how long we swim, none of the people I'd lived with since I left Spira could ever make it all the way to the surface). I was just about to break the surface. In a moment I would see the sun, breathe real air. I turned my face upwards and finally broke free of the ocean's bondage that had held me for who knows how long.

*-.-*

A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. It's really short for a first chapter. But they'll get longer, don't hurt me!

Review, 'cause reviews make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Say any and all thoughts you had on it. You can even flame me, ya?


	2. There's a song that's inside of my soul

Disclaimer: Same as before, I don't own FFX, the characters, or pretty much anything else in this fic. Moo.

*-.-*

Chapter Two

_My head's stopped working, my mind's all numb._

_I feel so stupid, I feel so dumb._

_Lately, there's nothing left to do,_

_But sit and dream of an eternity with you._

"Yunie?" Rikku's voice interrupted my reverie, breaking through my thoughts. She knocked again on the door.

I put down my pen and turned to face the door, calling, "It's open."

"Hey," she said warmly, coming over to my desk. "What're ya writing'?"

"Oh," I sad nonchalantly, "just a song."

"Really? Can I hear it?"

I sang the only part I'd written so far for her in my light alto voice. Now, I admit, my voice isn't the best ever, but it's really not that bad. And I liked writing songs. It made me feel better.

Rikku listened silently. She was still silent, even after I had finished. "It sounds sad," she said quietly, after a while. "Just a little."

I looked out my window. "It's supposed to be."

"Why don't you write something happy?"

I shrugged, still not looking at her. "I don't know, just because, I guess. I'm no good at writing happy things."

Her response was a simple "hm," followed by a moment of awkward silence.

"Someone's swimming" Rikku commented absently as some blonde's head popped up out of the water. It was my turn to "hm" this time.

"Well," my Al Bhed cousin said, standing. "I'll let you get back to your song. Lulu told me to tell you that lunch will be ready in a couple minutes."

"Thanks," I murmured, turning my eyes from the Besaidian coast reluctantly. I picked up my pen and began to write again.

_Time's catching up to me, catching like a cold,_

_The tears I've shed are coming back tenfold._

_But still there's nothing, left to do,_

_But sit and dream of an eternity with you._

I sighed and placed my pen next to the small tablet of paper I had been writing on, stood, stretched, and began walking downstairs.

*-.-*

A/N: This should be the last update for today, but I'm not really sure. I've been in a writing mood lately. Oh, by the way, this story probably won't have a plot. But hey. You never know, eh?

Oh, by the way, did you like Yuna's song? It took my about ten seconds per verse to write. I always thought Yuna seemed like the kind of girl who'd write down her problems in a song or journal rather than tell someone about them. I dunno why. Whatever.

Moo,

~E.N.


	3. Pardon me while I burn

Disclaimer: I still don't own FFX.

*-.-*

Chapter three

I hurled myself up out of the water, greedily gulping in my first taste of real air. My eyes scanned the beach slowly as I tried to get my bearings. This place… It was oddly familiar to me, though I couldn't put my finger on it at first. It wasn't until I saw a large temple near the coast that I realized I must be in Besaid. I was back on Spira. The realization made me laugh and prompted me to swim as fast as I could to shore. I couldn't wait to find Yuna.

It took me a couple minutes to reach my destination, for two reasons: one, I was pretty far out in the water; two, I was too excited by the thought of seeing Yuna to hold my breath, and swim underwater, which I was best at. When I finally did get to shore, however, a young woman came over to me, looking angry. 

"How dare you!" She exclaimed. "Get away! Lady Yuna doesn't need any more Sir Tiduses who have come back from the dead because of their un-ending love for her! So just leave!" With that, she turned and stomped away.

I stood there in shock, watching the woman walk away. So people were trying to be me, huh? Trying to get to Yuna using her love for me? These were some sick, sick people.

I sighed and, shaking my head, started to the village.

When I got there, I looked around, smiling slightly as I realized how inaccurate this classification was. Besaid was no more of a village than Luca was. The buildings were all at least three stories, and most were shops and restaurants or cafes. The population seemed to have at least tripled with Sin's demise. I shook my head again. How would I ever find Yuna in this mess? I walked up to an elderly man standing nearby and asked him where Yuna's house was. He simply glared at me and continued on his way. He must have thought that I was a fraud, too. I muttered a curse as I wondered again how I would find the ex-summoner among all these people.

A couple minutes later, I saw a boy and a girl who looked about my age. Maybe they would tell me something. As I approached, they promptly stopped the conversation they had been having and looked at me like something nasty on the bottom of their shoe. "Can I… help you?" the girl asked, the look still on her face.

"Um… yeah," I said to her, rubbing the back of my neck nervously. "I'm looking for Yuna. Do either of you guys know where she lives?"

The two teens glared at me. "Look, nobody's going to tell you. Just leave her alone, she doesn't need you! If she wanted that guy so bad she would've done something about it. Just leave her alone!"

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, come one!" The boy, who had been silent all this time, exclaimed angrily. "We know what you're doing! You're pretending to be Yuna's old lover so she'll marry you!"

"You're not the first," the girl added. "Plenty of others have tried the same thing. She hasn't bought it once. So just leave; go back to whatever rock you crawled out from under, fiend!"

"Yuna's old lover," I murmured, pretending not to have heard the girl's insult. "You said she could tell the others were fake? Well, why not let her decide for herself whether I'm really me?" The girl began to speak again, but I interrupted. "Look, it's great that you guys wanna protect Yuna. She's very lucky to have so many people who care about her. But honestly, you really don't have to. Not from me, at least. So just tell me where I can find her, okay?"

The girl rolled her eyes and stayed silent, but the boy paused.

"I just need to talk to her, okay?" I said quietly. "Don't worry."

"Fine," he said at last. "To get to her house, take the first left, right over there"—He pointed the street out to me—"then  the second right. It'll be at the end of that street, on the beach."

I smiled at them. "Thanks," was all I had time to say, before rushing to follow the boy's directions.

*-.-*

A/N: Yep, another short chapter. I promise, they WILL get longer eventually.

It's almost the end of the weekend ::aww::, so that means I most likely won't have time to update for a couple days, what with homework and such. I think the next chapter will be longer than the others, considering it's Tidus and Yuna's big reunion ::Yay!::, so it'll take a while, to write, because I want it to be all pretty and romantic and such. And the rating will probably rise. A lot. ::evil grin::


	4. My love is a lifetaker

Disclaimer: Same as always. Moo. (Lori- Ha! I stole your word!)

*-.-*

Chapter four

_My heart's shed tears of scarlet and blue,_

_The universe is ending but I have no clue._

_I'm so confused, I just don't know what to do,_

_But sit and dream of an eternity with you…_

"Yuna," Lulu called to me, but I ignored her. I had the next verse of my song in my head, and I was too busy fine-tuning it to worry about what was going on around me. "Yuna," she repeated, more loudly this time.

I quickly looked up. "What?" I asked, blinking to clear my head.

"You've barely touched your lunch. Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh," I said quickly. "Yes. I'm fine. I was just thinking." I gave a little bow. "I'm sorry."

She paused before answering. "About him again?"

I looked down. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Lulu raised her thin eyebrows. "You either are, or you are not, correct?"

I shrugged, not raising my eyes. Lulu sighed. "Yuna, I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just…" She sighed again, at a loss for words, like a mother who had been chastising her child for getting a bad mark on a test.

"It's been almost six months, Yunie," Rikku explained quietly. "Shouldn't you… well… you know, get on with your life? I… I don't think he's coming back Yuna. If he was going to, he would've by now, you know?"

"I know," I said, quietly. And I did; I just wasn't really ready to give up hope. Not yet. But when I told them this, Rikku and Lulu exchanged worried glances. "Besides," I said, in an attempt to lighten the mood, "I wasn't thinking about him. I was thinking about that song I'm writing. Remember, Rikku? The one you said was sad? I just thought of another verse. I'll be right back." I hurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my room.

Once there, I sat down at my desk and, grabbing a scrap of paper, quickly scribbled down the verse I had thought of. Its notes were different than the other two I had written; I promptly dubbed it the chorus.

I stood and walked a few feet to the left of the desk to lean against the sill of my open window. I didn't want to go downstairs, to Lulu's pitying expressions and Rikku's horrible attempts at making conversation. I sighed, gazing absently out at the coast. It was so beautiful, so peaceful, with the sunlight glinting off the ocean and the sea birds swaying gently in the breeze. The quiet lapping of the water as it hit playfully against the coast, then retreating back, as though playing tag with the sand, was rhythmic and calming. I closed my eyes, allowing the cadence of the sea to overtake me. I grew even more serene with every beat, every call of one gull to another, every bell that rung somewhere out in the harbor. Soon I smiled, falling onto my bed and into a deep sleep.

I had a stranger dream than I'd had in a long time. I was walking the beach, my shoes off and hanging uselessly from my fingertips. I had adopted flip-flopped sandals during the summer, instead of the hot boots that made my feet sweat, even in winter. I was quietly humming the Hymn of the Fayth to myself, looking out over the water.

"Hey," Tidus's voice came floating on the breeze from behind me. "What're ya doin' out here by yourself?"

A small part of my mind reasoned that he shouldn't be here, that he was dead, but I brutally shoved these thoughts away. I was obviously dreaming, and it was my dream; if Tidus wanted to be in it, it was fine with me.

I just smiled and shrugged. "I don't know. Just wanted to be alone, I guess."

He grinned cheekily. "Can I be alone with you?"

I blinked, smiling. "That didn't exactly make sense, Tidus."

Again he smiled. "I know," he said simply, before grabbing me around the waist and lifting me up. He twirled me in the air, and I laughed at the silly smile on his face. "You're certainly happy," I commented once he put me down.

"Well, when you come back from the dead to be with the woman you love, you're usually happy about it."

"Back… from the dead?" I asked, the reasonable part of my mind leaping into overdrive. That's not possible, it said. People can't come back from the dead. It's not possible. Once they're on the Farplane, they don't come back. That's it, they're done.

Tidus, unaware of my internal conflict, laughed again. "What, you didn't think I was just sitting somewhere since we defeated Sin, did you?"

My brain couldn't process all of this at once. It just wasn't possible. 

Suddenly, everything began to fade. I couldn't feel the wind against my face or the sand beneath my feat. Soon I couldn't see the beach or the ocean. Before I knew it, Tidus, too would fade. Just like he did on the airship…

"No," I murmured, grabbing his arms, as though it would keep my dream from ending. "No…" I squeezed my eyes shut…

… And opened them to the sound of a loud banging on the door. "Yunie!" Rikku's voice sounded panicked, as though there was something extremely scary outside the room that was trying to eat them. Or something to that effect.

"Yunie!" Rikku cried again. "Hurry, Yuna, there's something you have to see! Quick!"

That got me up. I stood and practically threw the door open. Instead of looking panicked, or even remotely frightened, she looked as though she had just seen the best thing in Spira. "Uh, what's up, Rikku?" I asked, confused, sleep making my voice thick. She didn't answer me; she simply looked me up and down, then sighed, shaking her head, and pulled me into her room, located conveniently right across the hall.

Once inside, she closed the door and began rummaging through the bottom of her closet. "Rikku, what---?" I began but she interrupted me.

"There's someone here to see you."

I sighed, knowing what she was getting at. This whole "getting on with my life" thing she was talking about at lunch. She had probably gotten one of her old boyfriends to come over and see me. Yevon knew she had enough to spare. "Rikku, I don't want to see any more suitors," I said crossly.

"You'll wanna see this one," was all she said.

There were a few moments of silence as I pondered what she had meant had Rikku continued to search through her closet.

"Ah-hah!" She exclaimed in triumph, holding up what it must have been that she was looking for. It was a plain white shirt shaped in a triangle and backless- a halter-top. "Put it on," my cousin instructed and, in a daze, I obeyed.

Then she began to look through her dresser. I wondered how she had gotten a-hold of so many clothes, but then remembered that she had plenty of sisters and other female relatives who could have given her things.

Rikku held out a pair of black pants that looked as though they would come to just above the knee on me. I simply pulled off my skirt and replaced it with the Capri pants. Rikku looked over me again. "No," she murmured to herself, "It's too boring." With that, she started searching through her clothes again, then sighed and pulled me back to my own room. She then began rummaging through my nicely organized closet. She looked into the back of it, and pulled out an extremely short skirt that I had forgotten I had. "Ah-hah!" she exclaimed again. "I have a shirt that would match this perfectly! Come on!" She called over her shoulder, already at her door. I hurried to follow.

About ten minutes later found me in Rikku's room, standing in front of her full-length mirror, staring at my reflection and wondering how she managed to do it. She had convinced me to wear the skirt and one of her barely-there shirts (It was one she'd made herself and consisted of only a strip of with sleeves attached) that covered only as much as it had to, and even then, not well; a little jewelry, and a fine dusting of makeup. I spun slowly, hardly believing that it was really me looking back from the mirror.

I looked up; Rikku was smiling at me. I smiled back and said, "Rikku, my dear, has anyone ever told you that you work wonders?"

She smiled. "Yes, yes, I know, I try."

We stood there, smiling at each other, for a few moments more, then Rikku grabbed my hand, pulling me out of her room. "Come on, I didn't get you all dressed up because I felt like it! Let's go!"

And I was hoping she'd forgotten.

--

I slowly made my way downstairs, feeling horrible. The last thing I wanted right now were more suitors, acting like I was some sort of trophy. But my thoughts changed when I saw who it was. I gasped his name, nearly silent, and he looked up, smiling slightly at me. "Hello, Yuna," he said simply, his blue eyes apprehensive.

For a moment I was in shock, but I recovered quickly. "Hello yourself, Sir Tidus," I said coolly, neither my eyes nor my voice showing the confused questions that were bouncing around my head. Was this why I had had that dream? Was it a premonition? Why was he here? Why now? What had brought him back? Had I somehow done it subconsciously? Was I still dreaming? Or, was it really possible? Could he really be here, in my house, with me? I couldn't believe any of it.

"H… how are you?" He asked quietly.

"I'm fine… now that you're here." I hoped such a response would make him relax.

It did. He visibly calmed; he smiled, looking slightly thankful.

That was it. His smile was all it took. I practically fell down the rest of the stairs between us and into his arms. My calm mask evaporated; I started sobbing into his shoulder. I whispered his name in between my sobs. I felt him stroke the back of my head, heard him hushing me, telling me it was alright, that he was back for good. Eventually my sobs diminished to sniffles, and I pulled away, meeting his cerulean eyes with my dichromatic ones. I smiled shakily up at him. "I'm so glad you're back," I whispered, afraid I'd start crying again.

Tidus grinned at me. "I'm glad to back." Then his expression grew serious. " Yuna, there's something I never told you; I love you. I think you knew, and I hope you've never doubted it for a moment. I love you more than anything."

I had known, or at least, I'd suspected, but to hear him say it, to hear those three small words escape him mouth, mad me the happiest girl on Spira, I knew it. No one could possibly be as happy as I was right then. I smiled, tears re-forming in my eyes, and grabbed his hand. "I knew," I said softly, "I just needed to hear you say it. And I love you, too... which I guess you also know."

He pulled me into his arms and gently pressed his lips to mine. I returned the kiss warmly, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pinned me gently against a nearby wall, for some reason unknown to me, resting his hands on my hips. A thought struck me suddenly. I had never once thought that he was a fraud, some Spiran who was just role-playing the blitzer. Somehow I had known that this was really him, that he wasn't a fake. He was really here, really kissing me. I heard a girly giggle from behind him and pulled back at the same time Tidus did. Rikku was standing in the doorway, her palms pressed together and held so that her index fingers were touching her lips. I blushed slightly, then went over hugged her. I whispered "Thank you" in her ear and pulled back.

She smiled at me. "Why don't you show him around?" she suggested.

I smiled. "Great idea." I turned and grabbed Tidus's hand, smiling. "Rikku," I said, my back to her, "why don't you go talk to your sources about getting mass amounts of food? We're having party, in honor of Sir Tidus's return!"

She squealed with joy. "Yes, ma'am!" She agreed, and I heard her bounding out the back door.

I turned my attention back to Tidus. "Come on," I coaxed, pulling him out of the entrance hall and into a dining room, and, in turn, the small kitchen, explaining small, needless details. Lulu was standing in front of a piece of machina called a stove, over which she was cooking something in a big pot. "Ever since people found out that Yevon lied to all of us, they've accepted machina and, as it turned out, even Yevonites have been making it for years! They just didn't tell anybody about it!" I explained. He smiled, but I could tell he wasn't really interested. I pulled him to a small staircase in the corner of the room that led to the top floor, where the bedrooms are. I motioned to three of the four doors. "That's Rikku, Lulu, and Wakka's room," I explained.

"Wakka lives here?" He said, a note in his voice that I couldn't even hope to decipher.

"Well, not usually. It's actually just a guest room. He's getting some machina installed into his house, so he's staying here for a little while. But the construction's almost done; he should be able to move out soon."

Tidus nodded and looked to the fourth door. "And… that's your room?" I nodded and he paused. "Can I see it?" he asked after a moment. I nodded slowly and opened the door.

He looked around for a second, his eyes falling on first my desk, then the small couch near one of the windows, and finally my bed, where they stayed longest. I realized I was still holding his hand. I used it to guide him over to the bed, before sitting down on it and motioning for him to do the same.

Once we were both sitting, I leaned against him, my eyes closed. He stroked my hair with one hand, his other on my waist. I looked up and smiled, then reached up and kissed him. He kissed me back, and the next thing I knew, I was pinned under him on the bed and fumbling with his clothes. Suddenly realizing what was happening, I gasped and pushed him away. He fell to the floor and looked up at me, confusion playing across his face. I stood and reached a hand down to help him up. "I'm sorry," I said, blushing, "I was just surprised. I didn't want to… you know… go that far. Sorry."

Tidus took my hand and I helped him up. "It's okay," he said. "To tell the truth, I didn't mean for that to happen, either. But it won't again, right?"

I nodded. "Right."

We stood in silence for a moment, looking at each other, neither of us knowing what to say or do. I was relieved when Rikku knocked on the door, asking if she could come in.

"Yes, come in," I called to her, dropping Tidus's hand from my grip.

If Rikku thought it was strange that we were just standing in my room, doing nothing, especially after that kiss we'd shared downstairs, she said nothing about it. "I talked to Lulu and a bunch of people from the town; they said they think a party would be a great idea. Oh, and by the way, Lora and Jeren say 'hi.'"

"Oh, okay. I'll come help."

Rikku smiled at me and nodded. "Okay," she agreed, and walked out the door. I quickly followed, escaping the room and the awkward silence that had filled it.

*-.-*

A/N: Hey! Told ya it'd take me a while! And I told the chapters would get longer! And they have! I would've continued, but I didn't exactly know where to go from here. So... yeah. There ya go! ^_^

~E.N.


	5. I'll translate it in your bed

Disclaimer: Oh, do I STLL have to put one of these up? Fine, fine, I don't own FFX. Or anything in this story. Well, I do own Jeren, but Lora belongs to herself (::waves:: sorry I didn't wait for you to respond to my e-mail! I had already typed you in and forgot when I uploaded it!)

Thanks Shad! ::huggles:: You know why (or you SHOULD, but…).

Oh, and by the way people, this chap's from Yuna's POV too.

*-.-*

"Hey Yuna," a strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist, and I smiled, recognizing Tidus's voice. I turned and smiled up at him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Hey," was my response.

"This place looks great," he said, looking around at our decorations. He frowned when he saw the big black piece of machina and the man standing behind it. "What the heck is that?" he questioned.

"Oh, that? That's something Rikku got a hold of. The Al Bhed call it 'nyteu'. The man standing behind it presses a bunch of buttons on it and music comes out of those things" I motioned to the black speakers places all around the town square.

Tidus smiled slightly. "Sounds like a stereo," he said with a lopsided grin. I looked at him, my eyes voicing the question for me. "A stereo is a thing we had in Zanarkand," he explained. "You have to do the same thing, you know, push buttons, except they were a lot smaller. I had one in my room that I played almost constantly." He sighed, thinking of his old life, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I pulled him closer and almost kissed him, but was immediately interrupted.

"Hey!" shouted Rikku. "You guys aren't here to make out! You're _supposed _to be helping us set up!"

"Hey, Rikku," called Wakka from one of the food tables, where he was 'setting out' food. "Shut up, ya? The kid just came back ta LIFE!"

Rikku ignored his words. "I thought you were putting out the food, not eating it!" With that she turned back to her job of hanging paper lanterns all around the dance floor.

I laughed. "You know, Tidus, she's right. We ARE supposed to be helping." I let my arms droop from around his neck and reached up to whisper in his ear, "We'll do this later." I made sure to put extra emphasis on "later". 

He looked down at me, surprised, and then just grinned. "You bet!"

I laughed again and turned back to selecting songs for the nyteu to play. Of course, most of the songs were in Al Bhed, so I just picked some at random. When I was finished, I turned around to see that Tidus had gone to help Rikku with the paper lanterns. I smiled as I watched them trying to get the lanterns on strings without crumpling the paper at all. It was quite amusing.

--

Some time later, everything was ready, Wakka had stopped eating all the food, and some of the townspeople started arriving. The sun had set and Lulu was casting fire spells one by one on the candles inside the paper lanterns, making everything glow with a rosy light. I smiled, watching the people on the dance floor dance to some techno song in Al Bhed. A new song suddenly came on, a slow song, and the people who had been dancing either coupled up or drifted off the dancefloor. Tidus came over from where he was talking to Letty and Keepa, probably about blitzball, and took my hand. "Wanna dance?" he asked casually. 

"Um…" was all I said. I didn't want to tell him what I was really thinking.

"What?" Tidus's eyes were confused, questioning, as he tilted his head to the side.

I looked down. "I… uh… I don't… I don't know…"

"Don't what? Know how to dance?"

I nodded, blushing and not meeting his eyes.

Tidus laughed loudly, and I blushed even more. "How can you not know how to dance?" he asked, still laughing. I was silent. After a moment he noticed my embarrassment and quieted himself. "Hey, that's okay! I'll teach you!"

"Um… okay, I guess." I let him lead me to the dance floor. He placed one of my hands on his shoulder and took my other in his, resting his other palm against my hip. Slowly, he stepped forward with his right foot, informing me that I was supposed to step back with my left. We repeated this movement again, reversing the steps so that my feet came together, as did his. We repeated the step a few more times, so we moved in a box shape. He smiled slightly, obviously proud of both me for learning so quickly and himself for teaching me so well. Is was a lot easier than I thought, and more fun than it looked. "How'd you learn?" I asked, my loud voice barely carrying over the music.

He grinned. "Comes from being a celebrity in Zanarkand. You have to know how to dance, in case someone important asked you to, like a king's daughter. Or something," he added with a slight laugh. "Why didn't you learn?"

I shrugged. "There was no need for me. When I decided to become a summoner, I knew that I wouldn't get married, because I'd be killed defeating Sin. And I wasn't really interested in boys before that."

Nothing more was said. We just danced, looking into each other's eyes. We treasured every second we were together more than we'd treasure a precious gem. He was everything to me.

Our silence was broken when Tidus finally noticed my clothes. "Yuna, what the heck are you wearing?"

I laughed lightly. "Rikku gave it to me." In the hours between when he came back and the party, Rikku had helped me pick out a good outfit. I was now wearing blue shorts that might as well not even be there (Rikku had called them hot pants) and a shirt with a neckline slightly reminiscent of Lulu's dress; it was white and hung off of my shoulders, and the bottom was decorated with a blue sparkling design made of glitter that fell off almost every time I moved. Again I was wearing make-up, but this time it wasn't just a light covering. It was practically a face-mask, with blush, lipstick _and_ lip gloss, and so much eye shadow and eyeliner that I was surprised my eyelids weren't closed from the weight. There was also a sprinkling of glitter along my cheeks and shoulders. It was strange; I had never been this done-up in my life, not even when I "married" Seymour.

Tidus grinned. "Think you'll ever wear anything like this again?"

"Most likely not."

"Aww," he said, pretending to be disappointed. Or maybe he wasn't pretending. I couldn't tell for sure.

The song morphed slowly into an upbeat tune, and I went over to a bonfire that Lulu had lit. I sat down on the sand and Tidus sat next to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned against him and closed my eyes. We only stayed that way for a minute. Rikku ran up to us and grabbed my hand. "Yuna!" She said, trying to pull me up. 

I opened my eyes. "What?"

"Come 'ere!" She said, and I grudgingly stood. Rikku pulled me over to the other side of the bonfire, a little further away from the noise. "Let's sing your song!"

"What?" I exclaimed. I hadn't even finished the song yet, and she wanted me to perform it?

"You know, that song you were singing before. We could, you know, sing it! We both know it! We could sing it a capella!"

"What?"

"You know, without music!"

"Oh."

"So, whaddya say?"

I sighed. "I don't know, Rikku. What if we mess up?"

"We won't! We can go over it right now, if you want."

I bit my lip, thinking. "But how would we do it? Would you sing one verse, then me, and then both of us do the chorus? Or would we both sing the whole time?"

"You'd sing the first verse, then I'll sing the next one, and we'll both do the chorus!"

"Well… okay. But if we mess up, it's your fault!"

I taught her the second verse and the chorus. We had a little problem when I told Rikku that she'd have to sing the last verse, but she said that I should, because it was my song. We quickly figured out solution. I taught Rikku her extra verse, and we ran through again with no problems.

Rikku went and whispered something to Brother, who was in control of the nyteu, and he nodded and stopped the music. Rikku motioned me over, and I went, almost unwillingly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please?" Brother began in unaccented Spiran, which he had spent the past six months learning. Everyone looked up at him expectantly as he continued into the microphone. "We have to very special guest singers here tonight who want to perform a song that, what, they both wrote?" He looked at us questioningly, and Rikku shook her head and motioned to me. "Oh, that _Yuna_ wrote. So, let's give a nice, warm hand of applause to our special guests, Ladies Rikku and Yuna!" The crowd did so, clapping and cheering. Brother brought out another microphone that he must have had hidden somewhere and hooked it up for us. Rikku and I looked at each other. She mouthed "One, two, three."

Right after "three," I began quietly. 

"My head stopped working, my mind's all numb,

I feel so stupid, feel so dumb." I looked over at Rikku, who nodded encouragingly. I continued, "Lately there's nothing left to do,

But sit and dream of an eternity with you."

I stepped aside slightly to let Rikku have the microphone.

"Time's catching up to me, catching like a cold," Her voice showed none of the stage fright that mine had.

"The tears I've shed are coming back ten-fold.

Still there's nothing else to do,

But sit and dream of an eternity with you."

She moved over the tiniest bit so that the microphone would catch my voice, too, as we sang the chorus, her voice an octave higher than mine.

"My heart's shed tears of scarlet and blue,

The universe is ending but I have no clue,

I'm so confused, I just don't know what to do,

But sit and dream of and eternity with you!"

Rikku continued with the next verse, still just as sure of herself as before:

"Outside there's rains of fire falling,

In my heart, your flame burns to true.

I can hear my destiny calling,

But I'm stuck dreaming of an eternity with you."

My voice was louder as I sang than it had been last time, as my stage fright was greatly lessened by Rikku's wonderful performance.

"I've wished on every star twice,

For you to come and melt my heart of ice.

That's why I beg and plead for you,

To make my dreams of eternity come true!"

Again, Rikku joined my on the mic to sing the last chorus.

"My heart's shed to many tears for you,

The end has come, I still don't know what to do.

I've been born again, and now I'm asking you,

Will you make all my dreams come true?"

There was a four beat rest, and then we continued, my voice jumping to Rikku's part and hers still an octave higher.

"Will you make all my dreams come true?"

As I sang the last words I looked directly at Tidus, into his eyes, asking the question to him and only him. He seemed to understand my intentions, because gave a tiny nod. And when everyone started cheering, he was the loudest of all. I smiled at him as Rikku and I gave little, almost mocking bows to the audience and rushed of stage.

I ran directly to Tidus, into his open arms. He picked me up and swung me around, then set me down and kissed me. He seemed to know that everyone was watching him, and he dipped me over his arm as a crowd-pleaser. And the crowd was most certainly pleased. There were howls of approval and shouts of "You go man!" and other less appropriate things. When he finally broke off I was so giddy I knew that if he wasn't holding me up I'd have fallen by now. He sat on a log that someone had pulled over to the fireside to serve as a bench and pulled me onto his lap. "You were great," He murmured into my hair, then pulled away and made me face him. "Yuna, I swear I'll make all your dreams come true. I'll be with you forever... For eternity."

I smiled and tried very hard not to cry from happiness. Instead, I lowered my face to his for another wonderful kiss.

--

Hours later, at about one o'clock in the morning, the party started winding down. People went home and we started cleaning up. Or, at least, Rikku, Lulu, and Wakka did. Tidus and I snuck home when no one was watching.

Once there, we immediately ran up the stairs and into my room. I slammed the door shut and Tidus pinned me against it, kissing me hungrily, like we hadn't seen each other for years. Still kissing him, I pulled away from the door and led him to the couch by the window. We collapsed onto it and started to pull at each other's clothes. I wanted to stop so badly. I wasn't ready for this. The thought of what I knew would come if I didn't get up was terrifying, but for some reason I didn't understand in the least, I couldn't pull my lips from his. It was like I was possessed by something I couldn't get rid of. Tidus appeared to by having the same problem. There was something inhuman in his eyes, like he was a wild animal, something that couldn't be controlled. This made my fear escalate to panic. I had no control over myself, I couldn't stop kissing him, couldn't pull my body away from his. All I wanted was for this to stop. Why wouldn't it stop?

The next second I lost all ties to myself, to my humanity. It was like I became some kind of animal. I knew, somehow, that I must have had the same look in my eyes that Tidus held in his.

--

When I woke up, sometime in the afternoon, I was in bed, instead of on the couch, and Tidus was beside me. His arms were wrapped around my shoulders, and mine were around his waist. I blinked a couple of times, trying to remember what had happened the night before. It took me a few seconds, but then everything came back to me at once. I groaned lightly and turned away from Tidus, my brain pounding in my head. I closed my eyes. I felt again the terror that had gripped me the night before. I had had no control over myself. I wondered with distress if that was how it always felt. I had no idea; before last night, I had had no experience in the subject.

A couple minutes later, Tidus woke up. He sat up, rubbing his head, then looked at me. Even though I was facing away from him, I could tell this somehow. "Yuna," he said quietly. I turned to him. He had a confused expression on his face. "What happened last night?"

I turned my head to meet his eyes and motioned to the pile of clothes on the floor by the couch. "Figure it out," I said quietly, then turned away from him again.

"...Oh." he responded simply.

"Yeah," I responded. I felt him stand up and heard him walk over to the couch. I closed my eyes and stopped listening to him, trying to go back to sleep. About a minute later I felt something light come to rest on my legs. I opened my eyes to see a long skirt that was dark blue at the bottom and faded to a powder blue at the top, and a light blue shirt with sleeves that ended just past the elbow, along with a black bra and a pair of underwear. I looked up just in time to see Tidus walk out the door, fully clothed, and close it gently behind him.

I sat up and dressed quickly, then carefully made my bed. Once that was done, I went downstairs to find Tidus leaning casually against the kitchen counter, talking to Rikku and Lulu, who were both sitting at the table, eating breakfast. When I entered, he looked up and smiled warmly. "Morning, sleepy head," he greeted me.

I blushed. "Good morning." I was surprised at how calm my voice sounded, how… normal. It didn't betray the fear and confusion that I was really feeling. I sat down at the table, and Lulu stood and placed a plate of chocobo eggs in front of me. I looked over at Tidus. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Nah," he said with a dismissive gesture. "I'm fine. But you eat. I might have some later, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay." I started eating the plate of eggs in front of me.

I was almost done with my eggs when Lulu asked the question that I had been dreading. "So, where did Tidus sleep last night?" She had said the question casually, but I knew Lulu too well. This was a test. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew exactly what had happened the night before. I looked away. "My room," I answered in what I hoped was a casual voice.

Lulu looked at me with her sharp, dark eyes. "And where is he sleeping tonight?"

"Um… the guest room?" I suggested.

Lulu smiled. "Good answer."

The rest of the meal passed in silence. Even Rikku was quiet, for once.

*-.-*

There ya go. Chapter five. This one's long, too.

If you saw my other chapter five, I have one thing to say-

Everything's alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end.


	6. Looks like heaven but could be hell

Disclaimer: Oh, seriously, people! You all know that I didn't make up FFX or its characters! If I did, it wouldn't be in the FANFICTION section! Honestly, people, it's NOT THAT HARD!!!

Okay, glad that little spasm is over. This chapter's in Tidus's point of view, cause I've been neglecting my poor blond-haired bishi lately ^-^!

Oh, by the way, this chapter is the same time as Yuna's last one. After I finished writing chapter five, I was thinking about how much fun it'd be to write the same occurrences from Tidus's point of view.

I think I'll just shut up now.

This is probably gonna confuse some people, but I put random author's notes in here. Any of my notes will be in double parenthesis [Like this:(()) ] Tidus also makes notes, and his will be in regular parenthesis. 

*-.-*

Chapter 6

"Yuna…" The name slipped from my lips in a whisper, unbidden by my brain. She constantly invaded my thoughts. Everything about her: how soft her hair was; the way her eyes made whoever looked into them trapped in her gaze, like there was nothing else on earth but that person and her; the way her skin was always so soft; how she fit so nicely in my arms; how she tasted when I kissed her… I could go on forever. But I've got a story to tell, right?

I was standing in front of her house, near the curb. Yuna lived in a small house; it was only two floors, but there were windows everywhere. I counted six on the bottom floor and three big ones on the second floor. It doesn't seem like many, compared to most of the buildings in Zanarkand (where architects had decided that whole walls being replaced with glass was "in style"), but it was a lot for the size of the house. It didn't have siding of any kind, making it different from most houses I passed; it was painted a deep, hunter green, and there was a large garden in front. The garden spread along the house, under the windows, and along the sides of a meandering stone path that curved through the grass like a water snake. It was almost overflowing with lilies, geraniums, and other plants that I had seen on our pilgrimage but hadn't bothered to learn the names of. The grass was lush and a nice, bright green. I only had the time to take all this in because I was afraid of confronting Yuna. Pretty sad, huh? A guy being scared of the girl he came back to life for. But, hey, when you don't even know how long it's been since you've seen a person, how can you know if they still love you? Especially if you never even got to tell them how you truly felt when you saw them last.

I took a deep breath and walked up the path to the house. I knocked loudly on the door. I hadn't meant to, but I was extremely jumpy right then, and couldn't control the amount of force I used.

The door opened, causing my breath to stop completely. But, of course, it was only Lulu. She stared at me hard and slammed the door in my face. I blinked. What? Why had she done that? Oh, right. The people who had pretended to be me. I sighed.

"Lulu," I called. "Lulu, it's me! I'm back!"

There was a moment of silence, and for a second I thought she had already left.

The door opened again a second later, but, instead of Lulu, it was Rikku. She was giving me a glare that I used to give people: I called it the Deathglare. Right now, she looked like she could damn me to hell with a single word. "Um, hi, Rikku. You were right: you _would _see me again."

She paused, her deathglare gone. She had an uncertain look on her face, as though contemplating the reality of what I had said.

"It's me, Rikku," I said quietly. "I'm really back."

She bit her lip. "Look," I said, still quiet. "I can prove it's me. Remember, we were trying to find another way to defeat Sin, one without Yuna dying? Remember, when we were talking about it at Mount Gagazet, and you said I sounded like a leader? Just before Seymour attacked us? And, when you first saw me, in Baaj temple ruins? You thought I was a fiend, and you were talking in Al Bhed, and I couldn't understand you? Come on! It's really me!"

She looked at me a minute more, then nodded slowly. "It is you," she said, awe plain in her voice. Then she turned into her old self. "Tidus! It's you!" With that, she threw her arms around my neck and gave me a strangling hug. I was surprised. I didn't know she was so strong!

"Can't… breathe…" I choked out. She quickly released her hold on me, blushing slightly. "Yuna's going to be so happy! I can't wait to see her reaction!" With that, she squealed and disappeared from the doorway. A second later, I heard a series of loud thumps and Rikku's voice, quieter, saying, "You can come in if you want! Lulu's in the kitchen!"

I entered. It didn't take me long to find the kitchen and Lulu: I just had to go straight. "Um… Lulu?"

She sighed, not looking away from the window. "You had better be real."

"I am."

"You had better not disappear again."

"I won't."

"Do you know that for sure?"

I paused. There would be no hiding the truth from Lulu. She could smell a lie from miles away. "No."

"I thought as much." She stood and looked at me. "I'm still not sure you're really you, you know. But if Rikku trusted you… I guess I can, too." I nodded, and we both looked toward the ceiling as a series of thumps sounded. Lulu gave a tiny half-smile. "You should go wait in near the main stairs. Rikku will most likely drag her down there when they're ready."

Her. My heart did a weird flip-flop. Her. Yuna. I would be seeing her again. Soon. As I walked out to the entrance again, I silently prayer to whatever deity was listening that she would still love me.

Taking a deep breath, I leaned against the front door, trying to calm myself. Of course, this technique didn't work. Why had I thought it would? It never had before. I sighed.

It was a few minutes later when I finally heard the tell-tale thumps of feet coming down the stairs. Again, my heart did flips around my chest. It honestly felt like it wasn't connected in any way to any other part of my body. It was like it was flying around my chest cavity, hitting against my lungs and ribs. What was I thinking? For all I knew, I had been gone for years. _No, _said the sensible part of my mind. _Lulu and Rikku both looked the same. So, you couldn't have been gone for _too _long._ I sighed lightly. Just because they looked the same didn't mean it hadn't been a long time. Because it could very well have been. I was looking down. I would leave. Soon. Now.

"Tidus…" it was only a whisper, but my name was spoken with the emotion of a scream. I looked up. There was Yuna, in some ridiculously small outfit that made her look so good I almost wet myself ((Heh… that's far to amusing… I shouldn't have even put that in there… now that's the only thing I'm gonna be able to think about when I try to title this chapter)). I offered an almost infinitesimal smile. "Hello, Yuna." Do you still love me?

She was silent for a second, her eyes wide for the same amount of time, but the look was gone almost immediately. It was replaced with one that reminded me of some of the blitzers who always acted like they were better than everyone else. But I knew Yuna wasn't like that, and I couldn't have been gone long enough for that to have changed. "Hello yourself, Sir Tidus," she replied coolly.

At a loss for words, still internally driven insane from wanting her, I said the only thing that came to mind that wouldn't make me look like a sex-crazed idiot. "H-how are you?" I stumbled over the words, my brain having gone completely numb.

She looked into my eyes, and behind the mask she was once again wearing, I saw the Yuna I had always known: my Yuna. "I'm fine, now that you're here." I relaxed: She _did _still love me. And she had missed me. Of course, that last one might not have been a good thing, but I didn't care. She loved me. That was all that mattered. I smiled at her.

That was it. Her calm was gone as simply and as easily as mine had come. She ran down the remaining stairs (She had been standing on a landing, three stairs from the ground). The momentum she had gained sent her sprawling into my arms. She pressed her head just above my collarbone, sobbing. I did the only thing I could right then: I held her. I gently stroked her hair, comforting her with my actions and words. I told her it would be okay, that I wouldn't leave again, et cetera. After a couple minutes, she stopped sobbing. She was now only sniffling a little. She pulled back and looked into my eyes. When I met hers with mine, I got the familiar sensation that I was falling into them. I loved that feeling. I never got tired of it, or her.

"I'm so glad you're back," Yuna whispered, her voice breaking slightly.

I smiled. "I'm glad to be back." The I remembered something, and I grew instantly serious. I had never told her I loved her. Well, now was as good a time as any, I guessed. "Yuna, there's something I never told you: I love you. I think you knew, and I hope you never doubted it for a moment. I love you more than…" I did a quick scan for anything I loved the same as I loved her. Nothing even came close. "Anything," I finished lamely.

Tears returned to her eyes. She grabbed my hand gently in hers. "I knew. I just needed to hear you say it." She said, her voice once again barely above a whisper. Tell me you love me, I begged her silently. Please. I need to hear you say you love me. 

"And I love you, too."

That was all I needed to hear. Even if I left now, I could die a happy man. Yuna loved me. Me. She could have any man in Spira, but she chose me. There was only one thing I could do right then: I pressed my lips to hers in a small, lame excuse for a kiss.

She reached up, putting a hand on my neck, and returned the kiss with the intensity that I hadn't given at first. But now all my emotions were flowing to her through our locked lips. I turned and pinned her against the wall with my body, my hands now resting on her hips. I wanted to be as close to her as possible right now. This one moment was making up for all the time we had lost, which I still didn't know. I heard someone giggle behind me, and groaned inwardly. Didn't Rikku know that this wasn't the kind of thing that someone should interrupt?

Yuna and I pulled away at the same time, and I turned to look at Rikku, giving her my best deathglare. Her hands were pressed together and against her lips; she almost looked like she was praying. Yuna went over and hugged her. She must have said something to her at the same time, because the Al Bhed smiled at her. When Yuna had pulled away, Rikku suggested that her cousin show me around. My love came back and took my hand, then said something to Rikku about a party. Rikku's response was happy, giggly. I didn't hear it, or even anything Yuna had said, except the word "Party." I was far to busy looking at her. God, she was so beautiful, so perfect. I couldn't understand how she could love someone so flawed as me. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, even in Zanarkand. I couldn't get enough of her beauty, her grace, of which I had been deprived of for who knows how long. However long it had been, it was far too long. Hell, a day would have been too long for me.

"Come on," She said, and even her voice held an unearthly beauty. She pulled me to one room, then the next, but they all looked the same to me. My eyes never left the beautiful girl I had come back to life to be with. Somehow I knew that that was the reason I was here, for Yuna. I finally paid attention to her tour when she lead me up a small staircase in the corner of the kitchen: how we even got to the kitchen, I didn't know. When we had climbed all the stairs, she motioned to three of the four rooms, pointing them out as Rikku's, Wakka's, and Lulu's.

"Wakka lives here?" I asked, my heart dropping slightly. With him here to take "care" of Yuna, there was very, very little chance that we'd get to do anything... interesting.

"Well, not usually." She continued to explain that he was getting some machina installed in his house, so he had been staying with Yuna. His room, she explained, was really just a guest room. That was where I'd be staying, if Lulu got her hands on me.

I looked to the fourth door, the one she hadn't said anything about. "And… that's your room?"

At her nod, I paused. How was the best way to say what I was thinking? In the end, I just asked, "Can I see it?"

She nodded again, slowly, and opened the door.

I looked around, taking in the furniture and surroundings one piece at a time. The walls her painted a light bluish-green, and the floor was covered with a carpet of a similar color. There was a wooden writing desk, a wooden cabinet-like thing for her clothes (I had learned the name of the piece once, but it was a funny word in another language that I could never remember), and a loveseat with a red flowery print covering it.

And of course, there was her bed. It was simple and comfortable-looking. It had a plain white comforter on it that looked like it was stuffed with chocobo down. The bed itself was appeared to be queen-sized: it had a wooden headboard and footboard, both carved with a matching design of flowers.

Yuna must have caught me staring at her bed, because she lead me over to it and perched on the edge, before motioning for me to do the same. I obeyed the unspoken command, and she leaned against me. I ran my hand down her hair, still awed by her beauty. She reached up and kissed me. I kissed her back, caught slightly off-guard by the passion she held in the kiss. Almost unknowingly, I lay her down, pulling my body over hers. Her delicate, thin fingers were trying to figure out how to get my shirt off, when suddenly she gasped and pushed my away. I hit the floor hard and looked up at her, confused. She stood quickly and held out her hand to me, blushing. "I'm sorry. I was just surprised. I didn't want to, you know, go that far."

I nodded and grasped her hand, allowing Yuna to help me up. "It's okay," I said. "To tell the truth, I didn't mean for that to happen, either. But it won't again, right?" I felt horrible about lying to Yuna, but I would've felt worse if she thought the only reason I was back was to get laid.

"Right," Yuna said with a nod. Awkward silence ensued.

A couple seconds later, though, a knock sounded at the door. Rikku's voice asked if she could come in.

Dropping my hand, Yuna called, "Yes, come in."

Rikku entered. "I talked to Lulu and bunch of people from the town; they said they think a party's a great idea. Oh, and by the way, Lora and Jeren say 'hi.'"

"Oh," Yuna said, "Okay. I'll come help." 

Rikku smiled at her, then responded with a simple "'Kay."

The girls quickly left, leaving me alone in Yuna's room.

*-.-*

Well, what do ya think? How's chapter 6?

I know I said it'd be what Tidus did, but I got lazy and just made it what he was thinking instead.

It might take me a little while to get 7 up. I would tell you why, but Shad would hurt me . . (And no, Shad, it's NOT the same reason as last time.)

Oh, speaking of Shad, I just reread your review… that whole "Flowing like water" thing put some really, really… wrong thoughts into my head. Heh… Sick kitty over here… XP But I'm glad chapter 18's working! So, how soon can we expect it? Better not be three more months…. ::mutters incoherently::

~E.N.


	7. I can't help that I like to be kissed

Disclaimer: I apparently own Yuna & Tidus now. Don't ask me, my friend Angie decided that they were my bitches (since I'm openly bi. It has its perks, like kissing that drunk girl a couple nights ago…*watches her readers as they scurry away*). Of course, I didn't pay for them, so it probably doesn't count.

Heh, this is the chapter I've been waiting to write ever since I wrote the same events as Yuna.

But, anyways… I think this is gonna be way to entertaining for me. I like writing fluff far too much than is good for me.  (Note: I had originally put in a few sentences about how I wouldn't be writing yaoi or yuri fluff, but... well. When chapter sixteen rolls around, you'll see why that's grown increasingly inaccurate. I took it out now that I'm redoing it because I didn't want to confuse people. Yeah. Go me.)

*-.-*

"Hey… Sir Tidus?" I heard a familiar female voice behind my call. It was around ten at night and the party was well under way. I turned around, and before me stood the girl who had practically bitten my head off for trying to find Yuna this morning.

"Yeah?" I answered warily. What did this girl want?

"Uh… sorry for this morning. You know, the whole spaz-out. I was just, you know, trying to protect Yuna and stuff. Sorry." She blushed as she was saying this and gave a little bow, obviously embarrassed.

I shrugged it off. "Nah, I understand. No problem."

She smiled. "Good. By the way, my name's Lora. You got any idea where Wakka is?"

"I think he's over there," I said, pointing to a food table, where Wakka was indeed stuffing his face. Lora grinned, thanked me, and made her way to the tanned blitzer. When she got to him, she pulled him out onto the dance floor and began to… "dance" with him. Really, it looked like they were doing… something other than dancing. I think I'll leave it at that. I just shook my head. A lot had changed while I was gone. I looked around again. Yuna was sitting on the sand, talking to people I didn't know from the town. She looked so happy, talking and laughing with her friends. I got a sudden, irrational and slightly embarrassing pang of jealousy, knowing that she could be happy without my. I downed the drink I had almost forgotten I had until now, some sort of mix of distilled Malboro venom & an alcohol whose name I couldn't remember. I took a second to sort out all my emotions, then put my empty cup on a nearby table and went to talk to Letty and Keepa, two of the players on the Besaid's blitz team. They kept me occupied with a detailed description of everything that had happened in their last game, and finished up with asking me to come to practice some time.

Then, the thing Yuna had called a nyteu began to play some slow song with a female Al Bhed singing about lost love (At least, I'd heard the Al Bhed word "muja" in it, so that's what I'm assuming). A smile fell into place across my lips. This was my chance. I walked casually over to Yuna, who was now sitting alone watching the people on the dance floor and wearing a dreamy smile. "Hey," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Wanna dance?"

Her only answer was "Um…"

"What?" I asked. Was she trying to think of a way to turn me down. No. She loved me. I just had to keep reminding myself of it.

"I… uh… I don't… I don't know..." she still wasn't answering my question, and I didn't know why.

"Don't know what?" The truth hit me like a ton of bricks. "How to dance?" She nodded, and I burst out laughing. Normally I wouldn't, but, well, I guess I had a bit more to drink than I thought. My laughter decreased to chuckling when I saw how Yuna was blushing. "Hey, that's okay. I'll teach you." 

"Um… Okay." She still seemed pretty tense as I led her to the dance floor. I placed one of her hands on my should and took the other in mine, allowing my unoccupied hand to rest gently on her hip. Slowly, I taught her one of Zanarkand's most popular dances, a box step. 

"How'd you learn?" Yuna inquired, obviously about dancing.

I explained to her that I had to know in Zanarkand, being a celebrity. "Why didn't you learn?" I asked when I finished.

She shrugged. "There was no need for me. When I decided to become a summoner, I knew that I wouldn't get married, because I'd be killed defeating Sin. And I wasn't really interested in boys before that."

No conversation followed. We just looked at each other. Once again, when I looked into her eyes, it felt like I was in a trance. The entire world fell away from us, and it was like there was no one else in the world but the two of us. Everything beyond Yuna was blurred: Nothing else mattered. Something suddenly invaded my vision. For a spilt second, Yuna was gone. Instead, I was looking into someone else's eyes which seemed to be endless, emotionless black holes in her skull. This person was undeniably beautiful, but she was gone before that thought registered, and Yuna and the rest of Spira flicked back into existence. It was then that I finally tore my eyes from Yuna's face and noticed her clothes. "Yuna, what the heck are you wearing?" She looked like she would have fit in perfectly in Zanarkand (There's another reason it's called 'the city that never sleeps," if you get what I mean), with her hot pants, knee-high black boots and shoulder-baring shirt, along with more makeup than I'd seen on anyone in a long time. She blushed. "Rikku gave them to me." That made me feel slightly better about them. Not that I didn't like them, but at least I knew that Yuna wasn't a slut. Her cousin was. "Think you'll wear anything like this again?" I asked, playing hopeful.

"Most likely not," was her response.

"Aww." Only in your dreams, I thought to myself.

Soon afterwards the song ended. Lulu had lit a bonfire while we had been dancing, and now we sank down near it in the sand. I pulled Yuna close to me. And of course, who would show up but Rikku, the infamous, moment-ruining Al Bhed? She grabbed Yuna's hand, trying to pull her up. "Yuna," she said, still pulling on her hand.

"What?" Yuna asked, an almost exasperated tone in her voice.

"Come 'ere!" she cried. Yuna stood and allowed Rikku (who I was deathglaring at) to lead her over to the other side of the fire. They had a quick conversation, then they went over to Brother, who was in charge of the nyteu. Rikku whispered to him, and he nodded and turned the music down until it was off. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please?" He asked. He didn't have the accent he had when we were on Yuna's pilgrimage. "We have to very special guest singers here tonight who want to perform a song that, what, they both wrote?" Rikku shook her head, motioning to Yuna. "Oh, that _Yuna_ wrote." I stared at them in amazement. Yuna wrote songs? I didn't even know she sang. "So," Brother continued, "let's give a nice, warm hand of applause to our special guests, Ladies Rikku and Yuna!" The crowd clapped and cheered. Brother set up a microphone, which the girls stepped up to. They looked at each other and Yuna started singing timidly. Their song was obviously about a girl who was calling her lover back to her. It was about me. I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about that, but I decided I would settle it all later. 

Some people brought over a log from the forest during this, and I plopped onto it, absorbed in the song. Rikku was obviously more used to performing than Yuna was. She sang confidently, like it was impossible for her to mess up. Her voice was higher than Yuna's, but matched it perfectly, which I noticed when they sang what had to be the chorus together.

The girls switched solos every two or so verses. By the end I knew Yuna had written it about me. But of all of it, the line that I was listening to most was the one that Yuna met my eyes while she sang, the very last one: "Will you make all my dreams come true?" She was speaking directly to me. I gave a small, almost infinitesimal nod. She smiled when I joined the crowd in its cheers. She ran from the area that had served as her stage, and I caught her in my arms and, lifting her high, swung her around in the air. Everyone was watching; I knew that without taking my eyes from Yuna. When I set her down, I dipped her into a kiss that was as much to please the crowd as it was to please us. Our audience appeared to enjoy this and started shouting at us, howling and cheering. Of course, some jokers had to make stupid remarks ( "Oh, come on, get a room already!"), which we promptly ignored. When we broke away, we were both grinning like idiots and breathing hard. I pulled her over to the log and sat down, pulling Yuna into my lap. I pressed my face to her hair. "You were great," I murmured, my voice slightly muffled. I pulled back and gently turned her face towards me. "Yuna, I promise, I'll make all your dreams come true. I'll be with you forever... For eternity." She smiled shakily in return and I pulled her into another kiss, lacking none of the emotion that our last had.

--

A couple hours and a lot of sake later, Lulu put out her bonfire (which had almost died out anyway), Wakka cleaned up the food, and Rikku took down the decorations. Yuna and I didn't do anything: We had already snuck back to her house. We practically flew up the stairs to her room. All the sake I had consumed during the course of the night (which was a considerable amount) had since taken control of my body, and was making coherent thought nearly impossible. My thoughts were as slurred as I knew my voice would be if I tried to speak when I pinned Yuna against the door she had just slammed, kissing her forcefully. She pulled away from the door and lead me to the loveseat against the far wall. I stumbled drunkenly after her, my mouth still connected to hers. We fell onto the couch, trying to remove each other's clothes as fast as possible. I felt… wild, free, like some sort of untamed creature, unhindered by the ties of humanity. It wasn't how it had felt the last time I did this. My other experiences really hadn't been for me: they'd been something I did only for it to be recognized by my friends and teammates, back when I played for the Abes. This was different. Maybe it was because I was felt for Yuna in a way I hadn't for the other girls: they had just come with the fame, beautiful fans and expensive prostitutes fawning over you, usually for little more than justification to say they screwed one of Zanarkand's most desired males. Yuna wasn't like that; maybe that was why I couldn't control myself, because she seemed to be doing this so willingly ("seemed" being the key word there). 

--

I woke up late the next mourning. My head pounded like someone had taken a hammer and smashed my skull into pieces, my stomach feeling like I'd just been punched there twice in a row. Yuna was laying with her back to me. "Yuna… what happened last night?" I questioned, my brain foggy. I wasn't exactly sure why we were both laying naked in her bed and couldn't put these fact together right away.

It was only when she motioned to our discarded clothes and mumbled "Figure it out," did I actually, well, figure it out.

When I did, a strange feeling came over me. "Oh," I murmured simply, my hangover and the remaining intoxication from the night before keeping me from freaking out, which I most likely would do later. I stumbled up, walked over to the couch where my clothes were and quickly dressed. I looked over at Yuna. She was still in bed when I finished. I walked over to that big closet thing her clothes were kept in, pulling out essential clothing for her. Once that was finished, I laid my selection on the end of the bed and left.

After leaving Yuna's room, I went down to the kitchen, where Rikku was sitting at the table and Lulu was cooking something in a frying pan. I smiled and leaned against the counter. "Hey, guys," I said, my hangover making it sound like I had just crawled out of bed.

"Hi," Rikku said quickly, not meeting my eyes. I sent her a strange look but, since she wasn't looking at me, she didn't see it. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, as though she knew something she shouldn't and was embarrassed about it. I wondered how much she knew about what had happened last night. If that was the cause of her embarrassment, she obviously knew a lot. The possibility that she had heard us and peeked into Yuna's room to see what was going on amused and humiliated me at once.

A couple minutes later, Yuna entered the room, wearing the outfit I had picked out for it, a blue skirt and shirt. "Morning, sleepy head," I said, smiling as though nothing had happened.

"Good morning," Yuna said, just as casual as I was. When she sat, Lulu placed a plate of what I supposed was scrambled chocobo eggs in front of her. "Aren't you hungry?" she asked, looking at me. I assured her I wasn't and she started on her eggs, apparently without guilty that she was... I don't know, stealing food from me.

She had almost gotten through her breakfast when Lulu asked her, "So, where did Tidus sleep last night?" She and Yuna locked eyes for a second, then Yuna looked away. "My room," she said, once again sounding casual, like she was answering a question about the weather.

"Hm... And, where will he be sleeping tonight?"

"Um… the guest room?" Yuna responded, her answer more of a question.

Lulu smiled slightly. "Good answer."

No one said anything else for the rest of the meal.

--

Yuna had appointments after lunch, so I had some time to kill, most of which was spent trying to defend myself against the verbal blows Wakka delivered after breakfast. I had been wandering around, looking for some way to entertain myself until Yuna was done. Wakka soon found me loitering at the beach.

He approached me, the anger on his face and in his body making him look like something that had just crawled out of hell. "Uh…. Hi, Wakka," I said, trying to sound normal.

"Don't you 'hi Wakka' me, brudda," he said crossly. "I know what you an' Yuna did last night."

I stared at him, shocked. Then I realized why he was so mad. He always told me Yuna was like a little sister to him. The knowledge that your best friend and your little sister  were going at it probably didn't rest well with him. God, I thought, is everyone is this place trying to protect Yuna? I didn't know what to say, so all I said was "Oh."

"'Dat all you got to say for yourself, man, 'oh'?" He was obviously very angry about all this.

"How… how'd you know?"

"I'd be surprised if the whole village didn't hear you guys!"

I gulped quietly.

"So, what's your excuse?" Wakka asked, still glaring at me.

"Uh… I was drunk?"

"That's no good!"

"I don't _know_, Wakka! I just couldn't stop myself! It was like I was possessed or something!"

He sighed and was silent for a couple seconds. "You think she'll get pregnant?" he asked, his whole demeanor changing.

I could practically feel the blood drain from my face. "You don't think she could, do you?"

My old teammate snorted slightly. "Well, girls can, ya know."

I swore venomously, slapping my hand against my head. I hadn't even considered the possibility until now. " I can't believe I didn't even think of that!"

Wakka just sighed and shook his head at me, grinning slightly. Then he became serious. "I don't want you to hurt her, brudda. You won't…" he scratched the back of his neck and lowered his voice slightly. "You won't leave again, will ya?"

I didn't know how to answer. "I hope not."

He gave me a friendly punch in the shoulder and walked away, leaving me to think about everything he'd said.

*-.-*

So,  how'd you like chapter 7? My, we're on chapter 7 already? Damn. Anyways, I don't really have anything to say right here, so, I'm gonna go.

~E.N.


	8. But tomorrow there'll be hell to pay

Disclaimer: To hell with the disclaimer, you know I don't own anything!

Oh, yeah, before I forget, if you read this, please review. Not because it raises my non-existent self esteem (I swear, if one more person calls me an insane Avril wannabe…), but because I want to know if anyone BESIDES Shad reads this. Even if you just say something like "Moo" that is of no assistance to me what so ever.

I went over some of the errors in this chapter. Hopefully it makes more sense now (but of course not too much, because the entire point of it is to confuse the reader. Just not this much).

.-

They did it. I smile. The couple most in love in all dimensions finally proved it to each other.

They have helped in the destruction of life as they know it…

And it they have no clue.

This is absolutely priceless. The only thing I can think of that will be better is the helpless look of fear and guilt on their faces when they find out that they are the reason all their family and friends are suffering, dying.

Oh, I can't wait!

I lie on my stomach, gazing into the smoky orb before me. My short, sloppily cut hair slides into my black eyes, obstructing my view of the small orb in front of me, a look of cruel amusement on my face. I shove the few strands away, concentrating on the scene. One of the boy's friends is reprimanding him for the night before. I watch them for a little while, but I lose interest when his friend smiles. I sigh. Nothing else here that'll interest me for a while. I switch my sight spell back to my other unknowing assistant. She is sitting at her kitchen table, getting the same treatment her lover had received. This is distinctly more amusing.

The woman with long, black hair (I learned her name was Lulu months ago) is standing near a stove and yelling at my girl, who looks like she is about to cry. The blonde Al Bhed girl (What exactly does "Al Bhed" mean, anyway?) called Rikku is sitting near her cousin, trying to calm her friends down. Yuna stands and looks at Lulu with a cold glare. I see her mouth form the words "I'll do what I want with who I want," and leave, angry. I smile. Already my powers are beginning to take over her mind; from what I've seen of her, she would never have said that otherwise. And I've been watching her, studying her, for years. Not that she's noticed.

At first, I was only watching because I was curious. I wondered how humans dealt with grief when my mortal mother died. I was looking through all dimensions containing humans, observing, and then I found Yuna. Yuna, a girl whose mother died before she could remember and father left to fight the most terrible evil their planet had ever seen and never made it back. I figured she would never be the same when she found that her father, the only family she knew, had died.

But I was wrong. Instead of being afraid, or sad, she was stronger, more determined. When the evil her father had died to stop returned, she began working to defeat it.

This girl fascinated me. I could watch her for days straight and not see any sign of fear or sadness. I began to study her, looking into the lives of those around her to find out more about her.

It was only when she met this boy, this Tidus, and she realized she was in love with him, did I figure out how I could use her to my advantage.

You see, I'm going to take over all dimensions.

But there are a couple things I have to do first. If there wasn't, any old demon or human could use the powers of the Fates to gain absolute control, and where would the fun be in that?

One of those things has to do with the couple most in love in all of time and space. I could tell you what I have to do with them, but I think I want to make you wait.

How stupid of me! I haven't even properly introduced myself yet. My name is Lilith. I am named after the first demon, the one who gave birth to every evil in all dimensions. My father was one of the first. His power was great, greater than any I've yet to witness.

But he fell in love with a human.

And I'm the result.

I live in Reaoren, one of the hell dimensions. It's extremely overpopulated. I'm the only one who can switch between dimensions, as far as I know. I could leave, but I don't. I don't know why, so don't ask. Even if I did know, who says I'd tell you?

Not only demons live here. Some humans do, as well, if you could call it living. They're constantly being tortured, raped, or killed off by the residing demons. No one here knows I'm half human, and I'll keep it that way, thank you very much. That is, until I take over.

I'm not doing this for myself, you know. I'm doing it to prove the worth of half-breeds all over the multiverse. You see, half-breeds are looked down on more than humans are. If one were ruling the multiverse it would do wonders for their reputation.

So, you see? I'm not really all that greedy!

I turn my attention back to the orb in front of me. My hand hovers above it and I murmur a few words in a language whose entire dimension died out hundreds of thousands of years ago, and the room fills with sounds coming from the scene I am witnessing. I listen and watch intently. Yuna is in her room, looking out the window, glaring with an angry expression. She is perched on the edge of the little couch where she and Tidus had made love the night before. She falls own onto it, a sigh escaping her lips. She is staring into space, most likely thinking about Tidus. That boy. I do _not _like that boy. He is the one who interfered with my girl. He's the one who stole her from me. Of course, I like him a bit more since last night, now that he's helped me gain absolute control, but that doesn't mean I have to be eternally grateful to him, does it? Yuna was mine before she was his. Let it go on the record that I knew her first.

Suddenly, as though summoned by her thoughts, Tidus walks into the room. I glare at him as Yuna sits up and smiles. A few strides brings him to the couch she lays on. Yuna rests her head in his lap, still smiling. He strokes her hair, their eyes locked. All throughout this the couple hasn't said anything. They just look at each other, their eyes saying more than their lips ever could. It was in that second, when their eyes held so much love for each other, that I questioned what I was planning. I know it'll hurt my girl to be separate from him, and I don't want her to be… oh, what am I saying? I'm a demon! What do I care about the feelings of some mindless human? Well, I don't, so stop asking!

"Tidus," Yuna's voice comes out into my world, into my room, the first word from either of them. "What happened last night?"

"I… I don't know, Yuna. I couldn't control anything I did. I… I'm sorry," he looks away as he responds.

"You didn't do anything to be sorry for. I'm at just as much fault as you are here. It was scary, though. I mean, how neither of us could stop? It's like there was some other force at work."

"Yeah," Tidus says sarcastically. "Like hormones."

Yuna laughs and jabs him in the ribs. Then she grows serious. "No, but honestly, it felt like I was some sort of wild animal."

"You acted like one, too."

"Come on, Tidus! I'm serious! It feels like something's toying with us!"

I smile. My girl's smarter than I thought she was. Now, let's see if that dolt of a lover of hers gets the setup.

He sighs. "I know, Yuna. I can feel it, too." I snort. Sure you can. "But I don't think we should worry about it now. Maybe if it happens again, though, we should. The new libraries should have something about what's going on, right?"

"Right," Yuna agrees with a nod.

I sigh and wave my hand above the orb, which quickly turns into a ball of purple–gray smoke and dissipated. I turn over and lie on my back on the rough stone floor, the exposed skin on my back and legs feeling no pain from the substance they are used to. The room I'm in now is circular has a floor of black and red stone and was designed specifically to give the impression of brimstone. The walls are painted red with a textured paint, making it look like sand was thrown into the paint before use. The ceiling matches the floor, as it is made of the same substance and serves as the floor for the apartment above mine. I'm laying in the center of the room, staring at the stony ceiling and thinking about what's happening right now, but my thoughts turn to what's happening to me. What's wrong with me? Why do I feel so attached to Yuna? Is it just because I've been watching her for so long, or is there some other reason, one I'm failing or refusing to see? Am I… but no. That's impossible. I'm not… stop it. Stop thinking like that. But if I am… Quiet, brain, or I'll stab you with… with a sharp object! Almost grudgingly, my brain drops the subject. Yeah, that's what I thought.

That's the kind of thing that happens when you when you have nothing to do; you begin to carry out silent, or not so silent, conversations with yourself. I've gotten into a fight with myself before. It really amused my neighbors.

I sigh and stand, going over to the small hole in the wall some builder tried to pass off as a window. Outside me there are more apartment buildings crammed together like sardines. The narrow street is crowded with humans trying to avoid making eye contact with demons and demons waiting till some stupid human meets their eyes so they'll have an excuse to either kill them or rape them. I sigh and turn away from the window. My human curiosity suddenly clashes with vanity, and I conjure up a mirror, stealing it from some other dimension. I study my reflection. Like this, I look almost human, with my deep purple halter top and skirt made up of loose pieces of non-matching fabric. My deep purple hair is short and uneven at the moment, though I know I can change it at will. My eyes are black and currently bored. They usually have that appearance. They also can put most humans and weak demons to sleep if I wish them to. It's one of the many good things about being a half-demon. You can look normal for going into human-run dimensions but you still get demonic powers.

I groan quietly. There's never anything to do in this hellhole. No clubs, no humans who are actually _looking_ for a fight, nothing. No source of entertainment at all.

I just plop down on the floor and summon another orb for continuing the study of my humans. No wonder everyone kills each other. There's nothing better to do.

.-

Wow. Sorry if absolutely nothing in that chapter made sense. I mean seriously. I wrote most of it at 4 am the other night, so…

The chapters are getting short again! Oh no!

Sorry about the major characteristic changes in Lilith. But, hey, her character design is kind of mood-swingy anyways, so…

Okay, so she isn't. I just made that up now.

E.N.

BTW: Qui-ti, in answer to your question (which quite literally took me aback mm, bad grammar), I'm thirteen. I feel so little. But hey, I'll be fourteen in… :counts on fingers: meh, no time soon. Five months. Gr. I feel so little.

(Edit in the rewriting: Now I'm almost fifteen! Hah! That's why it amused me so much when people said that this story shouldn't be PG-13)

(Edit in the rewriting of the rewriting: Oh God. I was so young and unskilled when I started this. Now I'm almost sixteen and a lot better, if I do say so myself.)


	9. Like a whirl wind inside of my head

Disclaimer: You do realize that I'm just gonna stop doing these, right? Of course I don't own anything, I'm a FAN. Hence the fanFICTION.

Note: This chapter will contain some reference to various mental disorders. I'm really sorry if this makes anyone uncomfortable, but it's important to the plot, and I'll understand if you stop reading now. I'm not trying to make fun of anyone whose family or friends have been diagnosed with any of these disorders.

.-

I was lying on the beach, looking up at the sun, taking in the feeling of the sand against my exposed skin, the sound of the waves lapping against the shore and then receding, only to do it again a second later, like children playing a game of tag. The feeling of the sun as its rays bounced off my tanned skin. I closed my eyes, letting the sounds take over me.

I suppose I fell asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was in this big circular room. The walls and even the ceiling and the floor were painted red, black, or both. I was sitting on the floor, my legs drawn up to my chest and my arms wrapped around them. My chin was resting on my knees. I couldn't see anyone else in the room, but I felt like I was being watched. I stood up. "Who's there?" I shouted angrily. "I know you're there somewhere. Come out!"

There was a strange laugh that echoed off the walls, making it sound slightly androgynous and like it was coming from everywhere at once. It was familiar to me, but I couldn't place it as belonging to anyone I knew.

"You have better perception than I thought, Tidus." The voice was more concentrated this time, like it was in one place. And that place seemed to be right behind me. I turned. A woman was standing there, her arms behind her back, almost as though trying to imitate innocence. There was something dark about her; it made me feel almost instantly afraid of her.

"Welcome to Reaoren, Tidus," she continued. "I am called Lilith. But names aren't important. Not here."

"What?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

She smiled mysteriously at me. "Oh, it's not important," she responded innocently, then nodded towards a small window. "Take a peek, Tidus. Look at where you are."

I walked over to the window, not taking my eyes off her for a minute. When I saw what was outside this room, I gasped. The streets were packed with humans and some creatures whose names I neither knew nor wished to know. "What… what is this place?" I asked quietly.

Lilith sighed impatiently. "I told you," she snapped, her mysterious air evaporating. "It's Reaoren."

"But what's Reaoren?"

She sighed again. "It's one of the hell dimensions, stupid!"

"Hell dimensions…?" I say, a question in my voice.

"Don't you know anything? One of the places of torture for humans, inhabited by demons," she said, in such a voice that I half-expected her to add "duh" after it.

I stared at her. "So… why am I here?" I hadn't done anything to deserve to go to Hell. At least, not that I knew of.

She looked like she was a mother whose child was annoying her by asking too many questions. "Because I brought you here, Oh Dim One! How ELSE would you get here?"

"I don't know, for doing something bad?" I was starting to get annoyed by this woman.

"What? That doesn't even make sense! How would you get to another dimension for doing something bad?" She was extremely irritated with me by this time.

I shook my head with a sigh. "Never mind. So why did you bring me here?"

Lilith took a couple deep breaths to calm herself, her eyes closed. "Because I wanted to see who my victim would be this time," she said slowly, as if I were a little slow.

"Victim? Of what?" As confused as I was before, I was even more now, along with a bit frightened.

She let out a sound of aggravation, half way between a scream and a growl, throwing her arms in the air. "I give up!" she exclaimed. "You're going back to your own time!" Before I could do anything, she was holding her hands above my head, murmuring something in a language I couldn't understand.

I sat bolt upright on the sand, my breath coming in short gasps. I closed my eyes, trying to convince myself that it was just a dream. But I remembered it all so vividly. That Lilith creature, her eyes blacker than night, her hair an unnatural, raging violet. I shook my head to clear it, to clear the picture of those streets that appeared whenever I closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and stood, stretching. "It was just a dream," I murmur quietly, unaware that I'm speaking aloud.

"No it wasn't."

I turned around, trying to find the source of the voice. But there was no one near enough to me who could have said it. I suddenly recognized the voice: It was Lilith. My eyes widened in fear. Where was she? I could feel her watching my, her eyes burning holes deep within my very soul. But she was no where to be seen.

"Am I going crazy…?" I muttered to myself.

"It's really not that far of a trip," Lilith's voice once again sounded, but, this time, I couldn't tell if it was in my ears or in my head.

"Stop it!" I growl angrily, not quite loud enough for anyone nearby to hear me. "Leave my brain alone!"

She snorted. "Tidus, I would, really. But, this is a normal effect of my powers. Happens all the time. Don't worry, it should wear off… eventually."

"So, you'll just be hanging around and talking to me all day?"

Once again the woman snorted. "Please. I have better things to do all day. But you WILL be hearing things other people don't. Not all the time. Just occasionally." She paused, as if debating on whether to say any more. "Oh, and, by the way, your mom says hi."

"What?" How did she know about my mother? "What are you talking about? Tell me!" But it was useless. She was already gone.

I sighed, wondering what she could have been talking about. My mom? I hadn't seen her in… forever, it seemed. How did Lilith know about her? And, why had I yet to forget that dream?

I had more questions for her. What did she mean, an effect of her power? Why was she using her powers on me in the first place? There was no use; I couldn't answer any of these questions myself. But there was somewhere I could look.

Fifteen minutes later I was standing in the doorway to the building labeling it as the "Besaid Library for the Public." I asked one of the clerks if they could help me find a some books. She pointed to a table with six spheres on it and said, "Just use one of those spheres over there. Type in the subject you're looking for, and it'll show you all the books we have on it."

I thanked her and sat down near one of the spheres. It looked like one of the computers we'd had in Zanarkand. The sphere itself was bigger than usual, and there was a pad printed with letters hooked up to it.

The Besaid Library had an impressive collection of books on evil and demons, I found after I typed in the subject "demons." I was impressed when I saw that the list had at least twenty books on it. I scribbled down the number of the books and went to find them.

Two hours had passed before I was done. My neck was stiff from being bent over various books for so long, and my head hurt from all the new information it had absorbed. The library was dark, lit only with oil lamps on every table and torches in sconces along the wall. My vision was blurry and my eyes hurt from trying to read the tiny, orderly scrawl of monks in leather-bound books with pages yellowed from age. It appeared that no-one had opened any of these books in years, judging from the thick coat of dust covering them. I moved my head from side to side, trying to get the kinks out of it.

One of the clerks came up to me. "I'm sorry, Sir, but it's almost time for us to close," he said.

I nodded. "Okay. I was done, anyway. Thanks."

He smiled and nodded at me. "Have a good night."

I nodded, lacking anything else to say, and made my way back home.

.-

Hi! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I have tonsillitis, and it sucks. Monkeys. I can't swallow, and this is the first day since Friday that I can actually swallow. Five days with barely any food. I had a milkshake, some ramen, and a grilled cheese sandwich, I think that's it. Fun, huh?

I have to take these HUGE pink pills. They're, like, two-and-a-half centimeters long. And that's not one of my trademark over-exaggerations. But hey, they're pretty, and that makes it all better.

This chapter's pretty short, but only because I've been working on it all day for days (which is only a long time for me, who can usually get the chapters done in one or two sittings), and I got bored of it.

Once again, I'm sorry if the symptoms of mental disorders upset anyone. They honestly weren't there to make fun of anyone, and I'll understand if you stop reading now, because it's pretty important to the plot. I'm really sorry.

Qui-ti: Sure, I'll put you in. I think I already have a role you could play. I'm sorry about the 'bi-polar' thing. And I answered your question in my revision of chapter 8.

Sanguine-sama: You're absolutely right. There really is waaaaay too much sex in a some of those previous chapters. There probably won't be a lot more. At least, not that I go into detail with . And, yeah, rating really should be upped. A lot. (Note after editing: Although, I must admit, it's quite ironic that you say it's not PG-13, while I was thirteen when I wrote it.)

Shad: Thanks for the idea! And, thank you soooo much for all the moral support. Qui-ti too. I don't think I would still be working on this now if it weren't for you guys


	10. I never worry, now that is a lie

"What about…. This?" Yuna had a dress in her arms, and was holding it up to her body, admiring her reflection and spinning so her cousin, Rikku, could see.

"Hm…" Rikku hummed, pondering the dress. It was plain white all the way to the waist, where layers of tulle in pastel pinks, purples, and blues had been sewn. "Well, it's a nice dress… but maybe we should look for something a little more… daring."

Yuna stopped spinning and glared at her cousin. "I'm not wearing one of YOUR dresses, if that's what you mean," she snapped, her held-in laughter showing only in her eyes. She, and every one else in Besaid, knew Rikku's formal wardrobe consisted of low-cut dresses with short, short skirts. Sometimes it absolutely baffled the young, quiet teenager that she could have such an outgoing cousin.

Rikku stuck out her tongue at the young ex-summoner. "You're to boring, Yunie. You got 'a go out and LIVE, for Yevon's sake! And, no, I don't mean go out and have sex with your boyfriend."

"Rikku!" Yuna exclaimed, blushing scarlet.

"What?" the bouncy Al Bhed demanded. "We both know that's your-"

She was cut off by the door opening, showing a blonde teenage boy, Tidus. Yuna smiled at him and placed the dress on the bed next to her, then walked quickly over to him. He took her in his arms and pressed his face to her hair. "Hey," he murmured, his voice obscured slightly.

"Hi," Yuna said back quietly, turning her face upward. Tidus met his lips with hers, and for one beautiful moment all was right in both worlds. Tidus's guilt for not telling Yuna of the voices he had been plagued with the past two weeks evaporated. Yuna's worry for the upcoming ball, where she would tell Spira of her resignation as the maestress of Spira, which entitled her to rule and govern the growing populace,  also dispersed.  In that perfect moment, they were the only two people in all of time, in the history of humankind.

The moment was disrupted, of course, by Rikku's exasperated sigh. "You guys can make out LATER, you know," she said. She was no longer overjoyed to see Yuna and Tidus making out every time they met. It was her only wish that they would grow up eventually. She just didn't know when that time would be, and, for the girl, it would never be soon enough.

That doesn't mean, of course, that Rikku wasn't happy to see her cousin in high spirits. Rikku never wanted to see Yuna the way she had been in Tidus's six months of absence: a mere shell of what she had once been. When ever Rikku had looked into her eyes, it was like looking at those of a corpse. There was no emotion, not even sadness. It may have been selfish, but Rikku wanted to see any emotion in Yuna's eyes, even sadness, even anger.

There was anger in Yuna's eyes now. And Tidus's. "Fuck off, Rikku," he muttered angrily. Yuna slapped his arm lightly. "Language," she said in an almost warning voice, as though she were talking to a five year old who had repeated a swear after hearing it from an older sibling. He glared at her jokingly. "What, is everyone against me today?" he said, feigning anger.

"Aw," Yuna cooed, hugging him again. "You know we love you."

"Well, some of us." Rikku, it seemed to Tidus, just couldn't keep her mouth shut. He was about to give the same retort as before.

Yuna saw this in his eyes and put a finger to his lips. "Don't, Tidus," she said, trying to keep a straight face. She leaned her head against his chest for a moment, her eyes closed, and then grinned. "Hey," she said, leaning away from him. "What do you think about this dress for the ball?" She went over to the bed and picked up the dress, holding it to her body.

Tidus scrunched up his nose. "Nah, it's too frilly. It's not you."

"Hey, Yuna," Rikku piped up. "I think your boyfriend's gay."

Her cousin snorted. "Oh, no, I'm fairly certain he's not."

"I can prove it," Tidus said with a grin.

"Please don't." Rikku said the request like a command.

He glared at her good-naturedly. "Spoilsport."

She gave him a quick, sarcastic smile, then pushed him towards the door. "Out. This is girl stuff."

"Hey, I'm her date to this thing! I should be allowed to know what she's wearing!"

Any further debate between the two was interrupted by Yuna. "What about this, Rikku? Daring enough?"

The girl was holding a dress that slightly resembled a kimono, but more modern. It was white silk, embroidered with sakura branches in sky blue thread. It reached down to Yuna's ankles, and the fabric of the collar cuffed around her neck slightly. Light blue roping lined the neck and cut across the chest, then ended along the sides. Along this roping were hooks, made of the same blue material, that held the dress closed. But what made it daring was the fact that there were slits on the either side that went three-quarters of the way up her legs.

Tidus raised his eyebrows, as did Rikku. In fact, they did so quite nearly in tune with each other. "You better not be messing with my head," Tidus warned.

"Or what?" The thought that he was threatening her amused Yuna to no end.

"Or… I'll do something."

"Ooh, I'm scared now," Yuna responded sarcastically.

"Yeah, you better be." Tidus was now grinning. Yuna returned the smile.

"Anyway…" Rikku prompted. They both looked at her. "I think you should go with something a little more traditional. Get back to the roots, you know?"

"No, Rikku," Yuna said, a blank look on her face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The young Al Bhed sighed. "Like, something not TOO modern. Classy, you know?"

It was Yuna's turn to sigh. "Rikku, make up your mind. First you tell me to be daring. Now you tell me to be classy. What do you want me to wear?"

"I know what _I_ want you to wear."

Both girls looked up and saw Tidus standing near the closet, peering into it at something. Rikku muttered a quiet "Who asked you?"

Yuna smiled. "Do I even want to know, Tidus?"

He reached in, back into the depths of Rikku's closet. When he emerged, muttering, "A guy could get lost in that place," he was holding a long, slender dress of black velvet with ribbons in the place of sleeves. This dress, also, had slits along the sides. Yuna took it from him, a thoughtful look on her face. She pulled one corner of her bottom lip into her mouth. Then she shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really like wearing black. Too depressing, you know?" As an afterthought, she added, "And I'm too pale to look good in it."

Her boyfriend smiled. "Yuna, you look good in everything. But if you don't want to wear it," he shrugged, "then don't."

Yuna smiled. Tidus smiled back. 

"Do you guys EVER stop the lovey-dovey stuff?"

"Do you EVER stop complaining?"

"Tidus…" Rikku paused the debate to turn toward the boy she was talking to.

"Yeah?"

"Go away."

Tidus raised his eyebrows. "Oh, well, excuse me for wanting to see the girl I'm in love with." Upon saying this, he wrapped aforementioned girl into his arms.

"Go away." Rikku was looking more exasperated by the second. "It's my room. I say go away."

"Rikku!" Yuna exclaimed, breaking away from Tidus. "That's not nice!"

"Neither is distracting us from our work. Which he I doing. Now, make him go away!" Rikku whined.

"You sound like six-year-old, Rikku."

"Well, you're his girlfriend! Come ON! We have to get you ready for this ball. We're leaving tomorrow and you still don't have a dress!"

"Neither do you," Yuna reasoned calmly.

"Yeah, I do. Wanna see it?"

"Sure," the young ex-summoner agreed with a smile.

Rikku reached into her closet and pulled out an emerald-green taffeta dress whose color matched her eyes almost perfectly. Despite its brilliant hue, it was one the young Al Bhed's quieter pieces of clothing. It would fall to her ankles if she wore it, and this, like the one Tidus had selected for Yuna, had thin ribbons in the place of sleeves. There was a petticoat under the skirt and a wave-like design on the bodice, created by fancy stitching and sewed-on pearls.

Yuna stared. "That's such a pretty dress, Rikku," she said, walking closer to her cousin. She took the edges in her hands gently, examining it. "It matches your eyes. Where'd you get it? An Al Bhed place?"

Rikku smiled. "Actually, it was Cissan's. You remember her, right? My sister?"

Yuna nodded. "She's the one with really long hair, right? And she used to dye it all the time?"

Rikku grinned. "Yeah. You met her at the Jubilee, right?"

"Jubilee?" Tidus, having been momentarily forgotten, asked.

"Yeah. See, when Sin was defeated, there was this HUGE party. Every single city in Spira celebrated all day and all night, for almost three days!" Rikku explained, forgetting the disagreement that had taken place minutes ago. She remembered it quickly, however, and pointed to the door. "Now, out. Can't you find some way to amuse yourself while me 'n' Yuna figure out what she's gonna wear to this thing?"

Tidus grinned. "Fine," he said, finally admitting defeat. "I'm going. If anybody needs me, I'll be in my room, okay?"

Yuna smiled at him. "Okay," she agreed with a nod. He smiled back and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Rikku turned back to her closet. She pushed clothes aside, digging through the back. "Ugh!" She grunted in disgust. "I can't find anything else! Hey, you wanna raid Lulu's closet?"

Yuna smiled. "Think we'll find anything that fits?"

"Probably not, but, hey. You never know."

Yuna shrugged. "Sure. No harm, right?"

Rikku giggled. "Think we'll find, like, condoms or something in there?"

Yuna raised her eyebrows. "In her CLOSET? I doubt it. And besides, do you think we'd NOTICE if she was… having guys over?"

Rikku grinned again deviously. "Who says they have to be guys?"

Her cousin's response was to hit her in the arm good-naturedly. "Are you implying what I think you are?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

Giggling, the two girls made their way from Rikku's room to the one right next door. Yuna knocked a few times on the closed door. When no answer came, she opened the door a crack. The room was empty. Yuna nodded to Rikku, and the pair entered quietly. The feeling they shared was akin to that which Yuna had felt when she and Tidus had snuck down to the beach at midnight three or four days before: the giddiness of doing something they knew they weren't supposed to, mixed with the dread of knowing what will happen if they were caught.

The searched through Lulu's clothes, finding nothing that would fit Yuna and, to Rikku's disappointment, no condoms.

"It's not as much that I'd want to find them," Rikku explained as they were exiting. "I just wanna see if she should have yelled at you that one time, the night Tidus came back. Remember?"

Yuna laughed quietly. "How could I forget THAT night?"

Rikku smiled. "Hey, Yunie?"

"Yeah?"

The Al Bhed fidgeted nervously. "What was it like?"

Yuna turned to stare at her.

"I don't mean, like, go into detail," Rikku said quickly, holding her hands up. "I just mean, like, was it really as great as everyone says?"

Yuna paused, unsure of how she wanted to answer her cousin, then smiled. "Yeah. I guess it was. But," she added sternly, "that doesn't mean you should go out and try it, just because I said it was fun."

"Aw, come on, Yunie. You're only a year older than me now. You can't act all superior."

"Hey, you used a big word," a new voice, Tidus's, joined the conversation. He was leaning against the doorframe that entered into his room.

Yuna gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "How much did you hear?"

He grinned. "All of it. And, Rikku, since when are you sixteen?"

"Have been for almost two months now," she answered simply. "And Yunie'll be eighteen in three months."

Tidus looked over at Yuna. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, an amused look on his face.

Yuna smiled and shrugged. "No need to. I mean, it IS three whole months, you know."

"But I have to get you a gift, you know."

"No you don't," Yuna said, shaking her head. "You've already given me the best gift ever."

"Oh? And what's that?"

She met his cerulean eyes with her own dichromatic ones. "You came back to me."

Tidus was speechless for a second, then he smiled. "That was just fulfilling a promise." He paused, an idea striking him. "I have a much better birthday gift for you. Much, much better." With that, he pulled her into his arms. He whispered, "I love you, Yuna," into her hair, his eyes closed, a sleepy smile forming on his lips.

Yuna inhaled deeply, enjoying everything about the moment. The way it felt to be in his arms, the way he smelled of soap and sea water, how his voice sounded when he whispered those three words. It amazed her how three words that were almost infinitesimal by themselves, put together, could voice the most wondrous of all human emotions. She whispered the words back to him, amazed that Rikku had yet to complain about their showing of affection. Yuna wondered if the girl was even still there. If she was, maybe she was ignoring it, or maybe she was too busy thinking of something else to nice. Maybe she just didn't mind, this time.

Rikku, in fact, didn't mind. The conversation they had just shared had gotten her thinking: Yuna really, really cared about Tidus. She had known this before, ever since they defeated Sin, but, somehow, it felt more real now. It felt like she knew exactly how Yuna felt, not because she had felt it for herself, but because she was finally opening her eyes. It was like a veil had been lifted from her, and she saw how much they loved each other. This wasn't some childish emotion, Rikku realized. This was the real thing. This was true love, the most beautiful thing two people could ever share.

Rikku quietly stepped into her room and closed the door. She turned on the small nyteu she kept near her bed, keeping the volume low so as not to disturb Yuna and Tidus, then fell onto her bed, landing on her stomach. The girl couldn't help but wonder if she would ever feel for a man the way her cousin felt for Tidus. The thought that maybe she wouldn't was extremely depressing, and she quickly pushed it from her mind. She DID have someone, even if it wasn't they weren't a normal couple by any stretch of the imagination.

A song in Al Bhed played on Rikku's nyteu. The girl recognized it immediately and sang along, closing her eyes and letting the music take her away.

"Ed'c rynt du pameaja dryd drana'c huputo uid drana

Ed'c rynt du pameaja dryd E's ymm ymuha

Yd maycd E ryja ran muja, dra ledo cra mujac sa

Muhamo yc E ys, dukadran fa lno…"

Rikku was practically entranced by the music. She was somewhere else completely. In her mind, she could feel each beat of the song as it played through the speakers, could see every note as a swirl of color that flew by her, twirling around her, tickling as they brushed against her bare arms. Every word echoed through her being; they flowed through her veins, over her skin and along every strand of hair that cascaded down her back, where it lay, free of the ponytail she usually had it secured in. The sensation was like that of stepping into a cold shower or under a waterfall in summer; shocking, but not uncomfortable, and like every pore in her body felt cleansed and pure.

The feeling was so wonderful, so soothing, and the all of it felt so magical, that at first, Rikku didn't hear the knocking on her door. Even when she DID hear it, she ignored it, not wanting to lose her newly-obtained calm. The knocking persisted, and Yuna's voice called her name. But Rikku still ignored it.

Yuna's calls became louder. "Rikku! Are you in there? Rikku!!"

Rikku sighed, opening her eyes. She stood and stretched, then called. "Yeah, I'm in here! Come on in, Yunie."

The door opened, exposing a worried-looking Yuna. "Are you okay?"

Rikku frowned. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I think you were talking to yourself. At least, that's what it sounded like."

"Huh?" Rikku said quietly, then came to a quick conclusion. "Oh. I was singing. You know, along with the nyteu."

Yuna's worried expression deepened. "Rikku," she said quietly, "Your nyteu isn't on."

"Huh? But… I turned it on--"

Rikku turned, looking around. There was the nyteu, right where it was supposed to be. The red light above the power button was off, signaling that the nyteu was, in fact, off.. "Huh?" Rikku murmured again, frowning even more. "But… I don't understand. I know I turned it on."

"Maybe someone came in here and turned it off. Or maybe you fell asleep and just dreamed you turned it on."

"Maybe." Rikku wasn't convinced, but she didn't want to worry her cousin.

"Well, anyways," Yuna continued. "I came back up here to tell you that Alia's here to see you. She said to tell you to her hurry up, because you guys are already late. You know what she's talking about?"

"Yeah. We're going to Luca on the airship. She said she was going to meet me at the harbor at four. But I still have, like, an hour, don't I?"

Yuna once again looked worried. "No, Rikku. If you said you'd meet her at four, you're a half-hour late."

"What?!" Rikku's voice was panicked. How could it be four-thirty already? It had only been three o'clock when she and Yuna had stopped looking for something for her to wear. Guess I must have fallen asleep, Rikku thought. But that didn't make sense. She had turned on the nyteu BEFORE she lay down. Rikku walked over to the little table she kept the nyteu on and squatted down next to it. Looking behind the table, she saw that the piece of machina wasn't even plugged in. That couldn't be. She had heard the music… after she lay down. So, it was possible that she had been dreaming the whole time. It wasn't likely. But it was possible.

Rikku quickly stood and smiled at her cousin. "Wow, I guess I must've fallen asleep. But I'd better go down and see Alia. I'll see you later, okay, Yunie?"

"Okay, when do you think you'll get back?"

"Um… probably around seven or eight. Is that okay?" Yuna had become more than a friend to Rikku. She was a sort of mother to the girl who had never met her own.

"Fine with me. Have fun, and if you see anything you think I should wear to the ball, get it and I'll pay you back, 'kay?"

"'Kay, Yunie. Bye!" Rikku scampered from her room and down the stairs to meet her not-so-happy friend.

--

"Ooh, Yunie'd love this dress!" Rikku exclaimed, holding up a lavender, short-sleeved dress that would fall to about mid-calf on the girl who wore it. The young Al Bhed looked to her 'best friend' (who, secretly, was more).

The girl shrugged. "It'd look better on you."

Rikku laughed. "You say that about everything, Alia."

"Well, everything would." The girl looked around and, seeing that no one was watching them, gave Rikku a quick kiss on the cheek. "It's not my fault I tell the truth."

Rikku smiled at her girlfriend. Alia was afraid to 'come out,' so Rikku hadn't told anyone the secret they shared. To Rikku's knowledge, no one knew. Not even Yuna. Rikku hadn't even written the secret in the diary she kept, for fear that someone would read it.

Alia hadn't been too mad that Rikku was late. That was the good thing about having a best friend who was also her girlfriend. Now the girls were in Luca, browsing one of the many dress shops the city had to offer, looking for dresses for Alia and Yuna. Since the ball would be in Besaid, and all of Spira had been invited, anyway, Alia also needed good clothes to wear.

"Hey, how about this?" Alia was holding an indigo dress that was almost exactly the same as the one Rikku had been given by Cissan. The only thing that was different was the lack of embroidery on its bodice.

Rikku smiled. "Definitely. The dress I'm wearing is almost exactly like that, except it's green. We'll be twins!"

"I hope we aren't."

Rikku raised her eyebrows at her friend. "Why?"

"Because," she lowered her voice, "then us being together would be really, really sick."

The Al Bhed snickered. "Only you, Alia, would think of something like that," she said. Alia flashed her a sweet smile in response.

This simple action reminded Rikku of the things she had been thinking about earlier, how she'd wondered if she'd ever fall in love with a man. She realized now that she didn't really WANT to. She had Alia; who needed a man when you could be in a relationship with your sweet, pretty, wonderful best friend?

The thought made Rikku smile again. "Now that you're taken care of, on to Yunie!"

*-.-*

My, it's been a long time. This is my longest chapter yet. Rejoice! I think it's also my favorite. Rikku's my favorite character (I'm also cosplaying her at Katsucon this February; maybe I'll show you pictures!), and this chapter really went into more detail on her relationships with some of the characters. I also added in a little romance in there, just because I could.

Did I make it seem like Rikku and Tidus hated each other? I really wasn't trying to. I just wanted to show that the act kind of brother-sister towards each other, with the arguing and all. 

The song Rikku's listening to is the Al Bhed lyrics to "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, who rock.

Let's see… what else? Christmas was relatively pointless, but I had an AWESOME New Year's. I spent it at my friend Angie's house with our friends Skids & Hannah. Oana, Angie's mom, was really cool. We were up till 7 a.m. and she only complained to us twice, when we woke her up because we were screaming so loud. She even offered us Bailey's. Angie lives in a two-family house, and the lady upstairs always complains about how she plays such loud music and stuff… so me, Angie, and Skids would randomly scream, as loud as we could, just to piss her off. An hour or so later we learned that she wasn't even home. But hey, it was fun anyway.

After that, we all went outside. Across the street from Angie's house, there's this huge park called Ghould Manor, and we all randomly decided to have a circle, since we're all Wiccans. It was so cool; I think, together, we're really powerful. I felt really light-headed and giddy afterwards, and I don't think I was the only one, because when we were going back to Angie's house, we were all laughing at really, really stupid things. Sometimes we would just randomly start laughing, too. We must've sounded drunk or something.

Also, one of our most-used phrases that night was: "I'm bored. I'm gonna go change my shirt." Yeah, we're all pretty messed up. We were going through Angie's clothes and wearing whatever we thought was cool.

And I gave Skids a back rub. Heh. That was fun. She's really soft. And, she untied her halter top (which she stole from Angie), so that makes it even more fun.

Anyways, since none of you really CARE, and I have nothing else to say, I'm gonna go.

Moo,

~E.N.

P.S: I'm thinking of changing my send-off from Moo to Blessed Be. What do you think?

P.P.S: Dave: in answer to your review, the chorus is: Pardon me while I burst into flames. I've had enough of the world, and its people's mindless games. So, pardon me while I burn and rise above the flames. That used to be my favorite song, so trust me on this one. And, yes, Qui-ti, I AM really bi.

P.P.P.S: Looks like I had more to say, after all.


	11. The trick is to keep breathing

Hey, I'm putting up a pre-note again! No disclaimer (Yeah, yeah, go ahead and sue me), but a pre-note. Just 'cause I got something to say and I know I'll forget if I wait.

Wingheart: Sorry if Rikku being gay is freaky. I thought somebody would react that way (I know from experience that quote-un-quote [Yeah, yeah, leave me and my grammar alone] "controversial" people can make "normal" people squeamish), but I thought it was a good idea because I hadn't seen it anywhere. I don't really want to remove it (yeah, I'm a bitch), but rest assured it won't play a big part in the story, except this chapter. Also, yeah, me and my friend Angie (A.K.A. Rally or Cy) wrote the song specifically for DOE. And, yes, I am Wiccan. Been a student for almost my year-and-a-day time period (I'll be fully-fledged on February 18th, if I can convince my solitary-practitioner friends to form a coven with me. Not that you NEED a coven to be a witch…. I'll just shut up now).

Trying a new character's point of view. Tell me if you like it, okay? Oh, you'll need your trusty Al Bhed translator for this chapter ^_^

*-.-*

"Does anyone have a hairbrush I can use?"

"Where are me kanzashi?"

"Rikku, could you help me tie my obi?"

"Where the hell did I put my jacket?"

"Rikku, help me tie my obi already!"

"Okay, Yunie, calm down!" I postponed my frantic search for a hairbrush and rushed to my cousin's room, where she was standing, craning her neck to see her obi's reflection in the mirror behind her. I quickly helped her tie the pink sash around her waist, and made her turn and face me. I examined her furisode, the bright kimono with over-long sleeves that Yunie told me was the fanciest kimono unmarried woman could wear. The kimono custom, she had said, was so old, no books around today could trace it. I, personally, thought they were beautiful, no matter how old they were.

Let me take a second to explain this outfit. There are, like, twenty freaking parts to it and Yunie and me went over each of them. She has this white kimono-like thing that she wears under it, the obi (Which, I might add, is three different parts: the obi, the obiage, a thinner sash that's tucked into the obi, and obijime, a cord that ties around the whole thing), and the kimono. Okay, so it's not really twenty parts. But it's a lot!

Yunie's kimono was a festive purple with a design of all different types of flowers embroidered into it and, like I said, her obi was pink. All the parts of it were a different shade, the darkest being the almost-magenta obijime and the lightest the powder pink obiage. I already did her makeup, but she wouldn't let me put on a lot. She doesn't need it, anyway. I just put on some dark eye shadow and lip gloss. Stuff like that.

She smiled at me, and I smiled back. "Well," I said. "I have to find a hair brush."

Yunie blushed lightly and went over to her bedside table, pulling a familiar black hairbrush out of her drawer. "Sorry," she said with a little bow. "I borrowed it earlier and forgot to give it back."

I grinned at my cousin. "It's okay, Yunie. I'm sure you have a lot on your mind."

"I do," she admitted with a sheepish smile.

Last week, she had told us she didn't want to be the Maestress of Spira anymore. It was a huge shock for all of us. Wakka and Lulu didn't want Yuna to resign, but it was what she wanted. They'd been trying to convince her to change her mind all that week, but it was no use. When Yuna made a decision, I don't think there's a force ever created that could change her mind. She's so stubborn, and has been as long as I've known her.

I knew why Yuna had wanted to quit being Maestress. The others probably did, too, but I wasn't sure. See, she took a few days off after Tidus came back, and she was so swamped in paperwork that she only came out of her room to eat. Two nights in a row she went to bed late and woke up early, and that was just to make up the paperwork for three days. She didn't get to see Tidus at all.

Only two days passed when she called us all to the living room ((A/N: to answer any confusion, the living room is connected to the dining room. When you first walk in, you're in a little hallway. You can either go straight or up the stairs. If you go straight, you go into the dining room, and there's two doors in there: one leads to the kitchen, one leads to the living room. Get it? Jesus, I should draw blueprints or something…)), telling us she had an announcement to make. She said, flat out, that she was going to resign as Maestress. Like I said, we were all shocked.

But that was in the past; back to my story. We were all getting ready for the ball, and were ready to snap at anyone for practically anything. I quickly went back to my room, brushing my hair as I went. On the way there, I knocked into Tidus and, true to my Short Fuse theory, he snapped, "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

I sighed in response and muttered, "Sorry." I quickly went into my room and shut the door behind me. "Cusaputo cyja sa" I muttered in Al Bhed. I shuddered. If Tidus was this uptight, I didn't even _want _to see Lulu. If anyone needed Setum (An Al Bhed medicine for woman during "that time of the month"), it was her. That woman was a total menstrual case every day.

I quickly and carefully secured my hair in a pony tail on the top of my head and began rummaging through my drawers. I triumphantly held up the item I was searching for: an Al Bhed linmehk enuh. I promptly clicked the power switch and sat back to wait for it to heat up. I knew it wouldn't take long. I examined my reflection in the full-length mirror across from me, looking absentmindedly into my own eyes.

The weirdest thing happened then. There was a bright flash outside my bedroom window, which I saw reflected in the mirror. However, that wasn't all the mirror exposed. For a split second, only as long as it would take lightning to strike, there was a man standing behind me. He had silver-gray hair that grew shaggily to his shoulders. He had eyes that could've been pale, pale blue or gray: I didn't get the chance to see. He was dressed in a simple white tunic and white pants that looked more like thick tights, and boots of worn brown leather adorned his feet and calves.

Afraid, I turned around. No one was there.

I turned back to the mirror. He was gone. Whoever he was, he was gone.

I walked cautiously over to the window and opened it. I leaned outside, looking around the backyard. There was nothing there.

I shuddered. Was I going crazy? Taking a deep breath, I pulled myself back into my room. I turned around and walked over to the mirror, falling slowly to my knees before it. I could almost see something… I raised a hand to the glass, to touch a fingerprint on the surface. Everything seemed so surreal. What had that light been? I wondered. Who was that man? Why had I seen him? Had I imagined it? Once again I wondered if I was going crazy. And with that stunt yesterday… one could only assume…

"Rikku?" Yuna's questioning voice snapped my out of my thoughts. I looked up. She had her hands clasped in front of her. Her eyes were both curious and worried. "What're you doing?"

"Oh," I said quickly, looking back to the mirror. "Just cleaning off this finger print. It was annoying me, you know?" I quickly wiped the fingerprint off the glass with the edge of my skirt.

"Hey, what's this?" my cousin asked, reaching for the metal part of my linmehk enuh.

"Don't touch that!" I said loudly, grabbing it by the handle. Yuna frowned, confused. "Sorry," I apologized quickly. "It's hot. I didn't want you to burn yourself."

"Oh," my cousin said quietly, looking down. "Sorry."

I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it. It's called a linmehk enuh. Al Bhed woman use it to make their hair curly. See?" I grabbed a piece of hair from my pony tail and clipped the end onto the machina. I then moved the tool closer to my head, curling more of the strand along it all the while. Once it so close it was almost touching my scalp, I stopped, and held it there a moment. After a second, I undid the clip and pulled the thing from my hair, exposing a little blonde ringlet.

Yuna smiled, her eyes showing amusement. "Are you going to do that to all your hair?"

"Yep!" I say, flashing one of my trademark way-to-happy smiles.

She returned the gesture, more subdued than me, and sat down at the edge of my bed. "I'm nervous," she admitted in a worried voice, wringing her unseen hands together.

I turned back to doing my hair. "About giving you speech?" I guessed, watching her reflection in my mirror.

She nodded. "Yes. I'm so worried that… that none of them will support me, that they won't want a new ruler."

I smiled reassuringly at her, pushing my own worries from my head. "Don't worry, Yunie. Everyone loves you. They'll agree with whatever you decide. Don't worry about it."

She smiled at me. This time it was I who smiled back as I grabbed another small portion of hair. Yunie watched me for a minute, then told me she was going to go help Tidus get ready.

"He somehow lost his coat," Yuna said, grinning. Tidus wasn't really into the whole "tux" thing, especially since Yunie and I kept teasing him about how "cute" he looked in it. Oh, well. We take our fun when we can get it.

--

"I'm worried," Yunie admitted on our way to the temple, where the ball was being held. It was the official Six Months Ball. It was a new tradition, starting that year. Today, exactly six months ago, we all defeated Sin. I know, I know, earlier I said that it had been six months since Tidus disappeared, but, hey. I was estimating. Leave me alone.

I turned my head and looked at my cousin. "I told you. It'll be fine."

"I'm not really so worried about my speech. I thought of something else." She stopped walking and turned to face me, meeting my eyes with her own fearful ones. "What if he disappears again?"

I stared. "Oh no… I never even thought of that. Oh, Yunie, do you think he could?"

Her eyes looked even more scared, and she whispered, "I don't know. But, it _is _the six month anniversary, you know. As good a time as any for whatever brought him here to take him back." She looked down. "I'm worried," she said again.

"Me, too," I agreed quietly, and wrapped my arms around her shoulders in what I hoped was a reassuring hug. "I don't think he will, though. I can… feel it, you know?"

Yunie returned the hug, and pulled away. "Thanks, Rikku. For everything you've done for me since Tidus left."

I smiled up at her. "You know what they say. 'A friend in need's a friend indeed.'"

"Who's in need?" Tidus had just finished his conversation with Wakka and had decided to join ours.

"You are, Tidus. In need of a brain!" I said hitting him on the head jokingly. "Don't eavesdrop." I turned to Yunie, grinning. "You've taught him to sit and speak, can't you teach him some manners?"

My cousin laughed. "I've tried, believe me. I think he has more of his father in him than he'll admit." She said the last part with a sidelong look the one we were talking about.

He faked hurt, then just gave up the act and, grinning, slung his arm over Yuna's shoulders.

"Hey!" I said, holding my hands up. "We are _bonding_ here, in case you didn't notice!"

"Well, then, bond with me."

"No thanks, you're _her _boyfriend," I say, choosing the less-appropriate use of the word "bonding." "You guys bond." With that shot a quick smile at Yunie and started walking again. Soon after I heard the two of them start walking, keeping well behind me.

Well, I would be surprised if they _could _catch up to me. I was practically running. I couldn't wait to see Alia again. We had agreed to meet there, but we hadn't said where or when, and I didn't want her to have to wait a while, you know?

I, of course, made it to the temple first of our group. However, that didn't mean I was the first person there. All of Spira was invited, and it looked like all of them had come. It felt like there were so many people on Besaid that the poor little island would sink under the weight.

The temple was much bigger than it used to be. Popular demand had had one of the outer walls knocked down, a bunch of the forest destroyed, and then rebuilt so it was almost four times bigger than it had been before. Even still, there were a lot more people outside than in. And once I stepped past those huge, heavy doors, I could tell why. Despite being made entirely of stone and marble (Which usually made the temple cool compared to the hot Besaid sun), it was sweltering hot in there. I sighed. How the heck would I be able to find Alia in this place? I would be lucky if I found Tidus and Yuna again.

There were a bunch of benches and chairs all along the walls, and I made my way over to one and sat down. There was a hidden nyteu that was playing a variety of different types of music, catering to all tastes: a fast-paced techno song was followed up by smooth jazz, and when that ended, a soft, lilting waltz played from unseen speakers. Couples were already dancing. It was nice to watch them as they completely ignored the heat. Despite the ever-climbing temperature, people floated across the floor during the waltz, looking as though they were walking on air. Some couples left the floor when a pop song, no doubt sung by some anorexic bleach-blonde slut, came on, and others took the places of those who departed. But my favorite to watch was the people who came out during the jazz and swing songs. It looked like so much fun to dance with them. Their feet pounded in rhythm with the song. Men lifted their female partners, twirled them around or swinging them on the floor between their legs on the slippery floor and generally had fun. I would have loved to be out there with them, but I didn't know how to dance like that. I wondered absently if I could recruit one of those dancers to teach me their ways.

I saw Tidus and Yuna talking to a group of people who looked far older than them. Well, actually, Yuna was talking to them, Tidus was standing there pretending to be interested. He was far too easy to read for the act to be fun. Back when Auron was with us, I always tried to guess what he was thinking. Same with Kimahri. You can never tell what either of them really feel about you.

"Hey," said a male voice to my left. I turned my head and saw that the seat next to me had become occupied while I was so caught up in watching everyone. The person sitting there was a boy, probably a little older than me: maybe Yunie and Tidus's age. Or maybe he was mine; I couldn't tell. So I just smiled and responded with a simple "hi," hoping he would leave it at that.

Of course, he didn't. "You're Rikku, right?"

I looked back at him. Well, he was certainly good-looking, even if I wasn't interested in boys. He had brown hair that grew to about just below his ears, and laughing brown eyes. I smiled flirtatiously. Hey, might as well enjoy it while it lasts, I figured. "That depends: who wants to know?"

He smiled back. "I'm Briet."

I tilted my head slightly and extended my hand. "Well, you were right; I _am _Rikku. It's nice to meet you, Briet."

He took my hand but, instead of shaking it, as I had expected him to do, he kissed it just above the knuckles. "Charmed," he said, looking up with just his eyes.

"Well, the feeling is mutual, I assure you." I hadn't been lying, either; he really was quite charming. The weird thing was, it didn't feel at all strange to be flirting with Briet. He was sweet, and good-looking, but my heart was in it far more than I felt it should be. I felt like I was abandoning Alia. I suddenly remembered that she was who I was waiting her for. I turned around to be sure that she wasn't here and watching her girlfriend being courted by a boy. She wasn't, so I turned back to Briet.

"What's up?" he asked, his eyes curious.

"Oh, I'm waiting for someone."

"Uh-oh. Let me guess: you already have a boyfriend."

I laughed. "No, of course not!" Hey, he didn't ask if I was in a relationship.

"So, if I ask you to dance, I won't have to worry about some guy coming and telling me I was hitting on his girlfriend?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Nope, you have no need to worry."

"Then, do you want to dance?"

It was then that I realized a slow song (A slow pop song, but, whatever, beggars can't be choosers) had just come on. Briet stood and held his hand out to me. Still smiling, I placed my small hand in his larger one and stood. "I'd love to."

He led me out onto the dance floor and put his hands on my hips. I put mine around his neck. He was taller than me by about three inches. Not a whole lot, but for some reason I remembered that Alia was only an inch taller, if that. Alia. The name echoed through my head as thought someone were shouting it across a large, empty room. It echoed ominously around my brain. She was my date here. I shouldn't be dancing with this boy. I was here with Alia.

But she isn't here yet, argued another part of my brain. So one dance couldn't hurt… right? And, if she hadn't been so afraid to tell people how we were, I wouldn't be in this situation. News travels fast. The whole island would know by now.

From these thoughts sprang forth another: I wasn't gay. I was enjoying dancing with this boy. But I really liked Alia. Maybe even loved her. Maybe. So I wasn't straight. But I wasn't gay, either.

It was then that I realized Briet had been talking to me. "What? Sorry, I missed that," I said, feeling my face flush.

Briet smiled. "I said, what was it like fighting Sin? I mean, you and your friends are the reason we're all here tonight, right?"

"Yeah. At first, it was really scary. It was like nothing I'd ever done before. When I first joined the pilgrimage, I was really inexperienced. But I trained along the way and stuff. And then, learning that everything Yevon had taught his people was a lie, that was really weird. I mean, knowing that everything my people have fought for was true--" I stopped dead. Shit. That was the only thing I could think: shit. Even though it was well-known that Yevon was a fraud, there were still Al Bhed-haters. Some things are just impossible to stop. I accepted this reasoning along with the fact that everyone just needed a scapegoat: someone to blame everything on. My people and I were the unlucky choice.

Briet was looking at me with a confused look on his face. I bit my lip. I had to tell him and hope he didn't hate me for it. "Can I tell you a secret? No one knows it, except the people who were on the pilgrimage with me, so you can't tell anyone. Promise?"

"I promise," he agreed.

I looked around quickly, then leaned up and whispered in his ear, "I'm Al Bhed."

When I pulled away, I was surprised to see that he was smiling. "Why's that such a big secret?"

"Cause, even though everyone knows that Yevon lied, there are still people who hate people like me."

"Well, I don't hate you. That would be hypocritical."

I looked up at him, confused.

"I'm part Al Bhed," he clarified.

"You are?" I looked him up and down. "You don't look it." I peered up into his eyes. "And you don't have Al Bhed eyes."

"Yeah, well, I'm only a small part. My mother was half-and-half, so that makes me only a really little bit."

I nodded my understanding. Again, I suddenly remembered Alia. I was supposed to be waiting for her. I looked around. She was just coming in the main door. She saw me almost immediately, a look of shock claiming her face as she did. But she quickly covered it up and smiled at me. I smiled back, and she sat down on one of the benches against the wall to wait for me.

Briet saw our brief exchange. "Who's that?"

I looked back at him. "That's my friend, Alia. She's the one I was waiting for. See, neither of us had dates, so we were going to go together, but we decided just to meet up here. I mean, what would people say if they saw two girls walk in together?"

Briet shrugged. "It's not as uncommon as you think. You know, girls going together, as friends or, you know, otherwise. A lot of people like people who're the same sex as them." He grinned crookedly. "Like my sister."

I smiled, returning to my normal, bubbly self. "You have a sister? Me too! How old?"

"She just turned twenty. She was going to be a summoner, but we talked her out of it. How old is yours?"

Rikku smiled. "Close to yours. Twenty-one, I think. I haven't seen her in a while."

The song ended, and I smiled up at Briet. "Thanks for the dance."

He took my hand and kissed it again. "The pleasure is all mine," he said, his brown eyes twinkling.

Once again, I smiled and started walking over to Alia. Much to my surprise, Briet followed.

"Alia! Where've you been?" I exclaimed once I was seated next to her.

She grinned, looking lightly embarrassed. "You know how my mom likes to go over the top with things?" At my nod, she continued, "Well, she kept telling me stuff like 'Do more with your hair!' or 'Put on some more eye shadow!' She kept insisting that I had to look nice." She at me, framing her face mockingly with her hands. "How do I look?"

I smiled back at her. "You look great. All that work really paid off. And, besides, everyone knows the fashionably late rule." The last sentence was said with a mockingly high-pitched voice and a disdainful hand gesture. 

I realized Briet was sitting next to me, and hurriedly introduced him to Alia. We all talked for a while, until I decided I was hungry. "I'll be right back," I said, standing. "I'm going to get some food."

Alia stood, too. "I'll go with you." I smiled and nodded. I was glad for the company. Together, we made our way outside, where there were tables and tables of all sorts of food. "Whoa," I said. "I think this is the most food I've seen in my whole life!"

Alia laughed. "Yeah, me too."

Together we made our way past dish after dish, some hot, some cold, most looking delicious. I grabbed a plate and began piling food on it. Fried chocobo meat, fruits of all kinds, pasta and Malboro sauce, and more that I couldn't name. There was also some sort of green jelly-like thing. I didn't get anywhere near it, and me and Alia made jokes about what could be in it. 

"It's probably got, like, poison or something in it."

"Cyanide!" Alia exclaimed happily.

"Laudanum!" I countered.

We looked at each other. "Crack!" we exclaimed in unison, before erupting into giggles. Don't ask, it's an old inside joke.

A couple minutes later, our plates were full and we made our way back to the temple. 

"Hey, Rikku?"

"Yeah?"

"Why were you dancing with that guy? Briet, or whatever his name is?"

I laughed lightly. "I was being polite. He asked me to dance, what was I supposed to say, you know?"

Alia looked down, not answering. I sighed. "Look, if he asks me to dance again, I'll say no, okay?"

"Oh, don't worry, I don't mind. You looked like you were having fun. You can dance as much as you like."

I raised my eyebrows. "You sure?"

Alia nodded, smiling. "Yeah, don't worry about it. I want you to have fun."

I smiled back. "Okay, cool." By this time, we were back to our original seats, and we had another conversation with Briet, this time about the green blob someone had been trying to call food.

--

"Hey, Rikku, you wanna dance?" Briet asked as a slow song came on.

I looked to Alia, a 'would you mind?' look on my face. She smiled and shook her slightly. I turned back to Briet. "I'd love to."

We stood and walked out onto the dance floor again. Again I looped my arms around his neck, and again he put his hands on my hips. It all felt so… I don't know the word. Planned, maybe, but that makes it sound negative. Normal, maybe.

We didn't really talk as much as last time. I taught him some simple Al Bhed, under his request, which he picked up on rather quick, but that was pretty much it.

At one point, my eyes strayed to where I had left Alia. She had wandered off somewhere, but I didn't worry. I figured she'd seen another of her friends, or had gone to get food. Something like that.

The song ended and we went back to our seat at the same time as Alia returned from outside. I smiled at her and waved, but she returned neither gesture. She just grabbed my arm when I was within the needed distance, and said simply, "We have to talk."

I nodded, frowning confusedly. "Okay…"

She looked around. "Outside."

I nodded again, still confused, and looked at Briet. "Excuse us for a minute?"

He nodded. "Sure." His eyes alone showed his curiosity, asking a silent question, to which I shrugged.

Alia pulled me outside and led me away from all the people, down an alley out of anyone's hearing distance. "Why didn't you tell me you were Al Bhed?" she asked, hurt showing in her eyes.

I stared at her, shocked. "I didn't think it mattered," I said, frowning even more.

"Oh, of course. I mean, why _wouldn't _it matter that you're a heathen?"

My eyes and mouth were wide. "What?!" I practically shouted. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Though I had been called a heathen all throughout my life, it had never been by someone I loved. "Why are you doing this, Alia? You use machina too, and you don't believe in Yevon anymore, so why are you so mad?"

"You lied to me, Rikku!"

"No I didn't!"

"Well you certainly didn't tell me the truth!"

"Because I didn't think it matter!" I exclaimed, grabbing her hands. "Alia, I like you so much! I thought you liked me, too!"

She was silent for a moment, allowing me to hold her hands. "I don't think we should see each other anymore," she said quietly, looking down.

I stared. "What?" I almost whispered. "No." I shook my head, as if denying the truth of what she said. "No, Alia, you're joking."

She shook her head and looked into my eyes. "I don't want to be with someone I can't trust."

"But you _can _trust me! It never came up, so there was no reason to tell you! I would have if you'd just asked me! Don't do this, Alia; please, don't do this to me." Tears had formed in my eyes, and were threatening to spill over.

Her eyes were emotionless. "I'm sorry. You should have told me earlier." She dropped my hands and walked away, turning her back on my for the first time ever.

"Alia." I said. She didn't turn. She didn't even stop walking. "Alia!"

She left the alley, heading back up to the temple.

I leaned against the brick wall. I knew I was going to cry, but I didn't want to do it here. I took a deep breath and tried a smile. It didn't feel as sure as I would have liked, but it would have to do. I walked out of the alley and headed slowly up to the temple.

Yunie and Tidus were outside when I got up to the temple. The were walking towards the beach, but stopped when I approached.

"Rikku," Yuna asked, "is something wrong?"

I didn't answer. I just tried smiling again. "I'm really tired. I think I'm gonna go home and go to sleep."

My cousin nodded, but she still looked concerned. "Do you feel sick? It's only eleven. Usually you can barely fall asleep by three A.M."

I shrugged. "Maybe. I dunno. I just wanna go to sleep."

She nodded again. "Okay… see you later."

"Bye," I said, and turned quickly, before the tears fell from my eyes.

I walked all the way across town, the crystalline, salty tears sliding down my cheeks. I was almost home when…

"Lady Rikku."

It wasn't a voice I recognized. Whoever had said it was behind me, so I dashed away the tears with the back of my hand, and spun around.

When I saw who it was, I gasped. It was the man I'd seen standing behind me before I'd left for the ball!

"Who… are you?" I questioned cautiously. If I'd learned anything during the pilgrimage it was that when potentially dangerous people who obviously had power knew your name, it was best to make sure you knew theirs.

He smiled slightly. "If you need a name, you may call me Theo."

"Theo?" That didn't sound like a Spiran name, and it certainly wasn't Al Bhed. But I didn't want to think about it now. I just wanted to go home and cry myself to sleep.

"Yes, Theo. Or Theophilus, whichever you prefer."

I didn't care. I just wanted to go home. So I said, "That's great, but I really have to go right now." I started to turn around, but Theo grabbed my arm, stopping me.

"Please, wait just a minute, Lady Rikku. I need to warn you. I am afraid I cannot give you any specifics, but something bad is going to happen, concerning you and your friends."

I sighed. "We already saved the world once, what else do you want?"

"You saved _your _world once. I am afraid this is on a much greater scale."

"Huh?" Something more important than saving Spira from its greatest rival in history?

"As I said, I cannot give you any specifics right now, partially because we do not know many, and partially because you would not understand. I have not the time to explain it to you now, nor, I think, have you the time to listen. You look as if you need some rest. So I will not detain you any longer. It was nice to meet you at last, Lady Rikku. We shall meet again soon."

Then, weird as the night had been, something even weirder happened. A multitude of _wings_, huge, white, feathery, bird-like, _wings _sprouted from his back. He crouched and jumped high into the air, then caught a current of wind and flew off. I shook my head. I was most definitely going crazy.

Then, all of a sudden, the memory of how my night thus far had been came back to me, and my eyes welled up with tears again. I raced home before I broke down right there, in the middle of the road.

Once I arrived at my house, I raced up to my room and collapsed on my window seat, not bothering to change, take my hair down, or even wipe of my face. I sobbed and sobbed, all thoughts of Theo and the strange encounter pushed from my mind by the grief lost love brought me.

The night was spent sobbing in my room. I cried till I coughed. I cried till I choked. I cried till I got sick. And still I cried more.

Yuna and the rest arrived home around three or four o'clock in the morning. I lay down on my bed and pretended to be asleep when Yuna came to check on my. After she left my room, I heard her return to Tidus's instead of her own, and that made me cry even harder. They were so in love. They loved each other in a way I feared I'd never love anyone again. Unrealistic though it was, I couldn't help but feel like I could never feel for anyone the way I'd felt for Alia.

The next day I didn't come only came out of my room once, to use the bathroom. When I did, I heard Lulu yell up to Yuna and Tidus to get downstairs; they were on the news. Curious, but not ready to face my housemates, I went to my room and turned on the sphere-screen on the wall. I switched it to Besaid's only news channel.

"Everyone new emotions were on the high end between Spira's favorite couple, but I doubt any of us new they were _this_ hot," the anchor was saying. "One of our reporters caught ex-Maestress Yuna and her legendary boyfriend Sir Tidus engaging in what can only _safely _be called a 'tender moment' during Spira's Six Month Ball," she continued. I stared, my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open, as a clip of aforementioned couple making out on the Besaid shore played. Yuna was sitting on Tidus's lap, and one of his hands was across her back and the other was resting on her leg… under the hemline of her skirt. My eyes widened even more when Tidus's lips moved from Yunie's and onto her neck. He kissed the skin exposed by the neckline of her kimono. Her fingers were threaded through his hair, and when he returned to kissing her lips she kissed him back hungrily, her arms moving around his neck to press herself against his chest. She broke off the kiss and rested her head against his chest, his tan skin exposed by his halfway unbuttoned shirt. Tidus finally removed his hand from her kimono and hugged her close. "I think we can safely assume that everything is right as rain between the most famous couple in Spira," the anchor said, before moving on to a different story. Something about fish, I think, but I wasn't listening anymore.

I clicked the sphere off and sat at the edge of my bed, my eyes threatening tears. But these tears weren't for me; they were for my beloved cousin and her boyfriend. They would never be allowed to have a normal relationship, what with them being constantly in the spotlight. And the fact that the question of Yunie's virginity would most obviously be coming up in her next press conference, which she could no longer answer easily, made it even worse. This mixed with the returning worry that I would never have something as wonderful as they did made my tears fall again. It seemed like I would never stop crying.

I went over to my nightstand and plugged in my nyteu, then turned it on. A fast-paced song that I didn't want to listen to right then was on. I turned the knob on the side of the little black box, at first encountering only static. I finally found a song that fit with my emotion. It was a hard rock song in Spiran that I didn't recognize, but I could connect with the lyrics, so I left it. The lead singer's voice, though deep, was almost definitely female, another reason I liked this song. "In this damn society, fake reality, people too blind to even see. Fake smiles and fucked-up styles, how can one of them be me?" The words she sang touched my situation so deeply that I stopped crying, just to listen to the words. It contained a lot of uncensored swears, but I didn't care. I thought it was better when the stations played the songs how they were meant to be, bad words or no.

"I don't know where my love is anymore  
And I don't believe there's such a thing, like I never did before  
Cause love is just an attempt to cure loneliness  
Just another distraction to make you kill some stress."

It was like everything I was thinking, this girl had put to music; like I had written the lyrics myself. As the song progressed, I continued to connect with it, and decided quickly that I had a new favorite song.

After it finished, I learned the song had been called "Fake Reality" and it was by a band called Curbside Prophecy. I was surprised that a Spiran station was playing this song. Stations run by Spirans were few and far between, and this one played all rock songs, or so it claimed. There weren't a lot of people who liked that type of music, and it surprised me that one of them had started their own nyteu station. Not many Spirans admitted to using machina, but most of them did. They were the same people who had looked down on the Al Bhed, had made fun of them while Yevon was still worshipped, and now they were using the creations of those very people. Damn hypocrites.

The last verse of the song stayed lodged in my brain. "I don't know where my life is going, it's just scattered on the floor. Who knew love wasn't all it's cracked up to be? That's why I wanna change this fake reality." It was the one that meant the most to me.

I spent the rest of the day sitting on my window seat, thinking, listening to my new favorite nyteu station, and snapping at anyone who knocked on the door. Wasn't it obvious that I didn't want to talk to anyone?

The next few days sped by in a whirlwind. I didn't notice as they changed from day to night then back to day. Didn't notice, didn't bother to look, didn't care. I didn't even know how long I had been in my room. It could have been a day, or it could have been a week. The only time I left my sanctuary was to use the bathroom.

I didn't feel hunger or thirst. I didn't feel anything. It was like I was numb. I had long since drained all water from my body through my eyes, but I wasn't thirsty. I tried to keep my mind off Alia, but it didn't work for long. During that unmeasured time period I was in my room, I did a lot of things. I drew pictures; wrote songs and poems; slept; sang along to my nyteu, which never went off, not even while I was asleep; or watched my sphere-screen. I watched screen recordings I had collected. They were all in Al Bhed, and they had been shot with the intention of people watching them over and over, specifically for entertainment. I watched everything in my collection. Comedies I had seen a thousand times but hadn't touched since moving in with Yunie were unearthed, as were sad love stories of tragic, star-crossed lovers who knew they could never be together for one reason or another. I watched old sphere recordings I had made, along the pilgrimage or at Home with the Al Bhed. I watched as my family and friends and I ran around Home, laughing and shouting at each other. A younger version of Brother tagged me, shouting "Oui'ne ed!"

My voice, younger by about two or three years was heard shouting back, "Hu vyen! E lyh'd dyk baubma! E ryja y cbrana!"

"Cu dinh ed uvv!"

"Veha," my voice said grudgingly, and the sphere darkened.

I sat back and clicked off the sphere. Placing it down next to the bed, I lay down, staring at the ceiling and thinking of Home. I thought of all the Al Bhed who had been lost when the Guado attacked. I remembered all the friends I hadn't seen in almost a year, the people who had been killed in the attack on Home. I thought about my old best friend, Eyhi, who had helped my get through all my break-ups with Al Bhed boys. Sure, there weren't many, but they had all seemed like the end of the world to me.

And now she was gone. Eyhi, the girl I had told all my secrets, the girl I had known everything about, was dead. I would never get to see her again.

I wondered what Eyhi would do if she were here now. Would she stand by me, my best friend and pillar of strength, or would she avoid me right now because she didn't know how I was feeling, because she had never been dumped by a girl? Would I even be in this mess? Alia had been my best friend before she was my girlfriend. But if Eyhi was my best friend… I wouldn't even have this problem.

I wished fervently that she was here right now. I needed her more than ever. I needed someone to talk to.

As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door. "Go away," I said loudly.

There was a pause, then the knocking started again.

"Go away!" I shrieked, my voice at its breaking point.

"Rikku?" I frowned. Tidus. What did Tidus want?

"Tidus, go away. I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."

The door was opening. I stood and climbed onto my window seat, leaning my back against one of the side windows and pulling my knees to my chest. I turned my head away from the room and looked out the window. "Go away," I said again, though my voice was quieter and sounded slightly unsure. Well, I _had _wanted someone to talk to. Maybe this was a sign some superior being was giving me. Maybe I should let Tidus in.

It didn't matter; he was already in my room. He closed the door quietly behind him and walked over to me. "Rikku?"

"What?" I asked, not taking my eyes from the Besaid shoreline.

"Are you okay?"

I snorted slightly. "Do I look okay?"

"No, you don't."

"Then I'm not."

The blonde blitzer sat down in front of me. "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked quietly.

I looked up at him. He looked sincere enough. His eyes were full of concern, and his posture was one of a willing listener.

I squeezed my eyes shut against the tears that were rapidly returning to them. "Me and Alia had a fight." I whispered. Tidus knew Alia; He'd met her the day before the ball, when we were going dress-shopping in Luca.

He tilted his head. "So? I mean, if she's really your best friend, she'll forgive and forget, right? I mean, it's not like she was your girlfriend or anything."

I gave him a hopeless, teary-eyed look that spoke for itself.

Tidus seemed to get its message, because he sat back, murmuring a quiet "oh."

I squeezed my eyes shut again, resting my head on my knees. Despite my efforts to stop them, the tears still fell from the corners of my eyes, sliding down my face. I was all too aware of Tidus's presence, and I knew that he knew I was crying. I didn't like to cry in front of people, and I felt my cheeks flush slightly with embarrassment.

Then Tidus did the one of the last things I expected him to: he hugged me. It felt… weird. Not weird bad, like when you're hugged by someone you didn't know well, or someone you have a crush on. Weird in a way I hadn't felt for years. It felt like it had whenever Vydran or Brother hugged me. Like I was being hugged by a close family member.

My embarrassment fled. How many times had Brother comforted me when I was crying? I hugged Tidus back and lay my head on his shoulder, allowing the tears to fall. It was different, crying when someone's arms were around you and crying when you were huddled up in a ball in the corner of your bedroom. I felt safe then. It felt like coming home, soaking wet and cold after getting caught in a storm, and seeing a blazing fire and a cup of hot tea waiting for you. But best of all, it felt like I had finally found my true family.

After a few moments, my tears stopped, and I let go of Tidus. He smiled reassuringly, and I offered a watery smile back. "Thanks," I whispered. Though my voice was very, very quiet, I knew Tidus had heard me.

His smiled widened. "A friend in need is a friend indeed," he said, quoting me.

The boy's eyes grew mischievous. "Hey, Rikku. I want to tell you something: I think it might cheer you up a little. If it doesn't, you can punch me."

I snorted slightly, wiping the last remains of tears from my eyes and face. "I'd punch you even if you hadn't told me I could." I leaned forward with the look of a child who was about to hear something she wasn't supposed to. "What is it?"

*-.-*

Woo, cliffhanger! What's Tidus going to tell Rikku? You'll have to wait and see ! ~.^

Anyways, my longest chapter yet. And, you know how I said the last one was my favorite? This is my new one. Cause Rikku just plain rocks.

::Looks down:: Jeebus, thirteen pages?! Goddess, I must be going crazy, because it didn't seem like that long when I was writing it…

Anyway, the next chapter will probably be short. In fact, this one is probably going to be the longest in the entire fic. Moo.

Oh, by the way, I stole Shad's whole "Midol" thing (In case you weren't using you trusty Al Bhed translator ::tisk!:: 'Setum' is Al Bhed for 'Midol'). Do you mind? Cause if you did, just say the word & I'll change it (I hate stealing other people's ideas .).

Sorry, also, if any of the kimono information if wrong. I got it from the wonderful doujiart.com, but it was kind of confusing, so I just did my best. (Edit in the retelling: The school I attend now houses The Center for Global Studies, and one of the things it offers is the Japanese program. I get a year of Japanese history, and as many years as I want of Japanese language and World Literature. Well, anyway, in history, every Friday we get what my teacher calls Culture Day, where she tells us about a certain aspect of Japanese culture, and we had a kimono Culture day a while ago, so I'm pretty sure all the kimono information is now relatively correct.)

I have nothing else to say, I don't think, except that you probably all know what Tidus's secret is. Damn. Oh well. Since I have nothing else to say, I'm gonna go re-read the story.

Moo,

~E.N.

(Edit due to rewriting: I had a P.S. statement here in the original, but I took it out, cause... yeah. Inappropriate .; )


	12. Take a look, it's on display

"Hey," Yuna said, in a voice that commanded my attention, "how about this: you and me, in twenty years, sitting right here, except surrounded by kids. You'll be telling them all about your days as a professional blitzer, and some of the older ones will be swimming and splashing us."

I laughed. "Sounds like a plan. But, why does it have to be twenty whole years?"

She smiled at me. "Because I said so," she replied. I reached into the water and splashed her playfully. She shrieked and pushed me off the dock and into the water.

We had been sitting on the end of the harbor, where I had first met Wakka when I came to Spira. We had been mockingly planning our future together, where we would be in a certain amount of years and what we'd be doing. She didn't know what I was planning; she didn't know her dream wedding day would come sooner than she had been expecting.

Today was a good day. I had yet to hear Lilith's, or anyone else's, voice inside or around me. As a matter of fact, I hadn't heard anything from her in days. Maybe she had given up. It had been at least a month since I had first returned to Spira. I had done plenty more research, ordering book upon book from traveling merchants. I never told Yuna or any of the others why, and eventually they stopped asking.

I surfaced in the water, faking an angry look up at my girlfriend. Then I grinned evilly and grabbed her foot, yanking her into the water with me. She yelped and kicked at me, shrieking insults that weren't all that insulting. "You big meanie!"

I laughed. "You've been hanging around Rikku too much if you expect that to offend me."

She glared and put her hands on the top of my head, pushing down hard. I pulled her under with me, encircling my arms around her waist. She grinned at me and wiggled out of my grip, swimming out deeper. I followed her and grabbed her again when she surfaced. Again she squirmed away and continued swimming deeper. We chased each other for the next half hour, sometimes swimming out, and sometimes swooping back into the shallows.

Yuna went into the shallows and surfaced, her back to me. The water was waist-high on her, and I was suddenly reminded of certain night that felt like ages ago: a certain night in Macalania Forest. I approached her from behind and put my hands over her eyes. "Guess who."

She shifted her weight to one side. "Oh, don't tell me I have to kill you _again_, Seymour."

I turned her to face me but kept my hands over her eyes, then leaned in and kissed her. 

"Oh, I know…" she said when I pulled away.

I grinned. 

"…Wakka!"

"Yuck!" I said, taking my hands from her face.

Yuna laughed. "I was kidding. I knew it was you."

I put an arm around her waist and started back to the shore. She rested her head against my shoulder as we made our way back to the village.

--

"So, what do you think? Can you help me out?"

Wakka looked thoughtful for a minute. "I just might be able to, ya?" He leaned forward, as if about to tell me a secret. "Strawberries."

I raised an eyebrow. "Strawberries?"

"She loves 'em. 'Specially with chocolate."

I nodded. It had been an hour or two since Yuna and I had gone swimming, and she was out shopping with Lulu and Rikku. Perfect time to plan my surprise. "Anything else?"

"Uh… not that I can think of, ya?" 

"Okay, thanks man." I turned to go.

"Hey, got something else to say."

I turned back to him. "What's up?"

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do, eh, brudda?"

I grinned. "You got nothing to worry about."

"I'm serious, man."

I laughed. "Calm down! I won't, I won't!"

He grinned. "If I think of anything else, I'll tell ya, ya?"

"Thanks, Wakka!"

"Nothing's like before." The words floated toward from me as I perched on the edge of the cliff overlooking Besaid. I turned around to see the figure of a young man. He looked familiar to me… I just couldn't place him.

I turned back around, uttering a simple noise of agreement.

"But, hey, things always change, ya?"

"Yeah…" Judging by his accent, this boy was a Besaid native.

Suddenly I recognized him. His face resembled mine, but he had dark hair and dark eyes.

I turned back to him. "Chappu?" I asked cautiously.

"Yeah, do I know you?"

I dismissed the thought with a wave of my hand. "Nah, I'm a friend of your brother's. He talked about a lot before Yuna's pilgrimage."

"How is everybody? Wakka still blitzin'?"

"Not so much. He quit the year after you died."

"Oh… he was good, ya? Real talent in that one… wish he hadn't quit. You think it was my fault?"

I shrugged, turning back to the cliff. "I dun know. Maybe."

"How Lulu doin'? She find herself a husband yet, eh?"

I shook my head. "No, not yet… I don't think she ever really got over you."

"Hm…" Chappu was silent for a second, then said, "Well, I gotta be going. Tell everybody to take care o' themselves, ya?"

"Yeah, sure. Bye."

I turned around as he ran down the path to the beach, his form literally fading (like mine did, that last night on the airship) as he returned to his realm.

I had formed a theory on why I was seeing the dead. With the defeat of Yevon, the Farplane was in disarray, and there was nothing keeping the dead from coming back for short amounts of time. I was the only one who could see and communicate with them because I was the only one who had come back to life after being dead, and that gave me a tie to those who had left Spira and weren't lucky enough to have come back.

It wasn't strange to see people walking around the town, ignored by the other, more lively (if you'll pardon the bad pun) citizens. I had started seeing them about two weeks ago, maybe more. They were really quite easy to ignore. The only problem was telling them apart from living beings. You see, they look just like they did when they died. Sure, there were some wandering around without heads or limbs, but then there were the people who had died from illness and looked perfectly normal, if not a little too pale. I had even seen a man who had died by falling from the cliff where I now sat. It wasn't too pretty.

I had been sitting there, waiting for Yuna and the other girls to get back, waiting to hear the familiar sound of the airship's engine, or the girls' laughter as they made their way up the path. But I had yet to hear anything that could be taken a sign of my friends' return.

I stood and stretched, then began to wander aimlessly along the island's many paths. I hiked the dirt hills and machina ruins. I went back to the beach and submerged myself in the water.

That was when it happened. As I swam out deeper, I saw the light glint off something on the ocean floor. Curious, I dove deeper and deeper, until I was an arm's length away from the sand and the object I had seen. I reached out and grabbed the thing and a handful of the sand it was half-hidden under.

When I was back on the beach, I lay down on my stomach and cleared the sand from the object. It was circular and, upon flipping it over, I realized it was a cracked mirror. I turned it over in my hands again and noticed an inscription that was so worn I hadn't noticed it at first. I squinted at it for a couple seconds, then realized that it was in a different language, one that I couldn't recognize but seemed eerily familiar.

Using the tip of my finger, I wrote as much as I could decipher (which wasn't much) onto the sand. It looked like someone had grabbed a pen and just wrote whatever symbols came to mind. There was an 's'- shape, a long, curved line, and more shapes I couldn't even describe. Realizing I was getting no where, I shoved the mirror into my shorts' pocket.

The winds picked up suddenly, and a loud, resonating hum echoed over the beach. Looking up, I saw that the airship had finally arrived. It landed in the water next to the port and, once the door opened and the ramp was let down, out stepped Yuna, Rikku, and Lulu, all laden with shopping bags and all laughing. Well, okay, so Yuna and Rikku were laughing and Lulu was just smiling slightly.

Rikku was the first one who spotted me, considering Yuna was talking to Lulu about something. The young Al Bhed waved excitedly. "Hey! What're you doing down here?" she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the airship's engine.

I grinned and stood, dusting off my clothes as I did. I waited till the small group got closer, and answered simply, "I live here, too, you know."

Rikku giggled. "Well, yeah, but why are you down by the beach?"

I shrugged. "I was bored, there was nothing to do, so I decided to go swimming." I rested my arm over Yuna's shoulders, who, in turn, snaked her hand across my lower back and rested it on the hip farthest from her.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering the mirror. I pulled it out of my pocket. "I found this when I was swimming. It looks like it has some sort of weird language written on it." I passed it to Yuna, who squinted at the strange marks.

"It seems familiar, but I can't place it. Maybe it's one of the temple languages I had to learn to become a summoner. What do you think, Lulu?" She handed the small object to the black mage.

Lulu studied it for a moment, silent, and then shook her head. "I don't recognize it, either. It doesn't look like any form of Spiran I've seen." She looked to Rikku. "Maybe some form of Al Bhed?"

"Well, let's see!" The young girl took the mirror from the Lulu. She turned it around in her hands until it made a full circle, biting her lip and squinting. "I think… I think it is. It looks real familiar, and I know some of the letters, but I just can't place where I've seen it before, you know?"

I frowned. Me, Yuna, and Rikku recognized it, but Lulu didn't. How was _that_ possible? Lulu was the one who knew everything, but here it was, something she had never seen that the three youngest members of the party had. It made me even more curious as to the mystery object's origins.

Rikku handed it back to me with a shrug. "We could call Pops and see if he knows anything about it, if you want."

"No need," Yuna responded, her eyes on the sand. "We'll see him soon enough."

I looked at her, a question in my eyes, but said nothing. She'd been doing that a lot lately, saying something mysterious about people we'd see or things we'd do, and usually she was right.

She looked over at me and smiled that sweet, carefree smile that made me fall head-over-heels every time I saw it. I grinned back stupidly and pulled her closer.

Once we were back home, I continued planning my surprise. I just had to make sure Yuna didn't hear me talking.

I approached Rikku first. She was sitting in front of her mirror with an assortment of hair-styling tools beside her. She was obviously having fun experimenting with her hair. Right now she had it pulled up in a ponytail that cascaded down her back in a waterfall of curls and braids. She looked up at me when I knocked on the open door to her room. "Oh, hi, Tidus. What's up?" She asked, turning back to the mirror.

I closed the door and perched on the end of the bed. "Remember what I told you when you were all depressed, after the ball?"

She nodded slowly.

"Well, I've decided when to do it."

A couple minutes later I left Rikku's room, her advice sticking in my head like glue.

"Sure," she'd said. "Strawberries are a good idea. Chocolate's good, too, because it's an aphrodisiac, but if you want to get kinky you should go for some whipped cream."

I grinned inwardly at her. She definitely wasn't as innocent as she used to let on. It was the same with Yuna. The girl's cousin really wasn't as sweet as everyone thought. And I knew these things; I had seen the wild side of her. I grinned again at how stupid that thought was. Of course she had a wild side. Everyone did. Some people just didn't know how to let it show.

My brain started going into overtime, planning out all that I could of the night I was planning for the woman I loved. Rikku had given me another piece of advice.

"Candles. She loves them. Especially flower- or vanilla-scented ones."

It looked like I'd have to plan a shopping trip of my own to Luca.

*-.-*

I know, I know, sucky ending to a sucky chapter. Sorry about the wait. My computer got a virus and it wouldn't open Word, so I couldn't work on this chapter. Even after my niece, Ashley, fixed the computer, it took me way too long to write this. This chapter, unfortunately, served no purpose to me when I started it. I had a horrible case of writer's block. Just ask Shad, I complained enough about it to her.

Which reminds me. Thank you so much, Shad! It may not show too much, but you have been a HUGE help during the writing of this chapter, what with the moral support and the direct quoting (Rikku's line up there about whipped cream was directly stolen from the all-powerful Shad). Also, while on the topic of thanks, Merry definitely deserves thanks for letting me vent to her all those times. She's the only one who knows what's planned for DOE which all came out by accident when I was ranting to her about my horrible writers block. ::huggles her friends:: Thanks, guys! I love you both oh-so-very much!

Okay, well, sorry again that this chapter took so freaking LONG to get out. I have my reasons, yes sirree.

Oh, and I think I AM gonna post some Katsu pics of me in my Rikku costume. Shad said she'd look if I posted them, so at least I know SOMEONE will.

On the subject of Katsu, that's why I posted this chapter. ::Excited squeal:: We're leaving tomorrow! I didn't want to come home and have to deal with the evil-ness of this thing, so I decided to finish it up tonight.

Moo,

E.N.


	13. They are sluts like you

Okay, seeing as this is the thirteenth chapter, it's got a lot of weird  stuff in it, and it's got some POV changes, so it'll be kind of confusing.

Just wanted to say that before we began. ^^;;

Oh, and this purposely runs backwards. It's all the same day.

*-.-*

Nighttime

I stood in a dark kitchen alone, washing dishes at the sink. The room wasn't familiar, but somehow I knew it was in my house.

A door slammed loudly behind me, followed by some incoherent muttering. I turned around to see a man with shaggy blonde hair grown almost to his shoulders, dressed in a mix between Spiran and Al Bhed clothes: he had a white button-down short-sleeved shirt that was unbuttoned and splotched with sand and dirt, along with scuffed boots, black shorts, brown leather chaps, and two belts, one going around his waist and the other across his chest. From the second belt hung tools whose purposes I didn't know. His cerulean eyes were angry and when those eyes met mine, a word of recognition sounded in my mind: Husband. Tidus.

He pulled out a chair and sat down heavily at the circular table in the middle of the room. I went over and put my arms around his shoulders. He pushed me away. Somehow I knew that he always did that these days.

I walked over to the food-storage unit and pulled out food I recognized as the dinner I had made earlier. As I put the plate in the microwave to heat it, I asked, "Rough day?"

Tidus dropped his head into his hands. "The worst so far. Had another fight with Cid. The asshole almost fired me! I couldn't believe it. I'm practically family! And he knows I can't support you and Saki if I don't have a job!"

His words triggered a memory. A young girl with brown hair and blue eyes, laying in a bed, fast asleep. This was Saki, the girl my husband was talking about. "While we're on the subject," I said tentatively, knowing I was treading on sensitive ground, "I wish you'd get a different job, something where you could be home more often. Saki barely even knows you. You're gone before she wakes up and you come back after she's asleep."

He turned his head and glared at me. "You know I've been looking. I can't FIND any other jobs."

"There are plenty of other things you could do!"

"Then why don't YOU just go get one?"

I stared at him, astonished. "Because I have to take care of Saki! You know, the daughter you forgot you had?"

Tidus jumped to his feet, knocking the chair over. "Yuna, I love her more than I love you!"

My eyes widened, and my temper reached boiling point. "Fine! I hate you, too!"

"Well, if you hate me, there's no reason for me to stay!" With that, my husband walked to the door in long strides, opened it, and slammed it behind him.

I stared after him, my anger gone immediately. "No," I said quietly, before running after him. I threw the door to see him walking quickly down the street.

I ran after him, grabbing his hand in an attempt to stop him. "No, please! I didn't mean it!" He tossed me away as easily as if I were a rag doll. "Tidus, please! Don't go!"

"Why not? Why should I stay with someone who doesn't love me?"

Tears ran freely down my face. "I didn't mean it! I was just angry! I DO love you! Please, you have to stay!"

He didn't even acknowledge me. He just walked away.

I sat up, gasping for breath, sweat soaking my hair and clothes. Momentarily disoriented, I looked around. Where was I? It took me a moment to realize that I was in my own room, my own bed.

"It was just a dream," I whispered. "Just a dream."

I considered going in to Tidus's room, but after what happened earlier (How could he even TRY to look innocent when I caught him kissing that skanky girl?), I just couldn't. The only thing I could do was keep telling myself it was a dream. Even with my own reassurances, I still cried myself to sleep that night.

*~*~* ((A/N: ::points to line-separation thing::  See? That means it's a new POV.))

Afternoon/Evening

"Hello again, Human."

I turned around to see the all too familiar form of Lilith. I glared. "What do YOU want?"

"Aw, don't get all mad," she replied, her voice dripping with fake innocence. "I just decided to visit."

"Haven't you done enough already?" I didn't want to deal with her right now. I'd been having a conversation with Yuna, when dear little Lilith decided to drop in. Apparently Yuna couldn't hear her, but I could (thought neither of us could see her), and I couldn't tell the difference between their voices. So I left. I just said something about going for a walk and got out of there.

And now, here was Lilith, the bitch I was blaming everything on. All the emotions I had been trying to hide the past few weeks overflowed, and I lunged at the demon standing in front of me.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, jumping away from me in surprise.

"This is all your fault!" I shout before she can say anything else. "All of it! I hate you!"

Lilith laughed cruelly. "I don't CARE, Tidus, whether you hate me or not. I'll only need you for a little while longer."

"What are you talking about?" I lunged towards her again. Once again she jumped back, but this time, she wasn't quick enough and I grabbed a handful of her hair, making her fall to the ground. She screeched in surprise, and tried to stand up, which was kind of hard, considering I was pinning her down to the ground.

"Get off me!" Lilith's voice was half angry and half panicked. "Get off me, now, you stupid human!" She tried to squirm out from under me, but I wouldn't let her. I smacked her across the face.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" I exclaimed, not really expecting an answer. I lowered my face closer to hers and hissed, through clenched teeth, "Leave me and Yuna alone."

Lilith's eyes moved from mine momentarily, and then she did the last thing I expected her to: she reached her arms around my neck and kissed me.

I was frozen in surprise. What was she doing, and why?

"Tidus?"

I pulled away quickly and looked behind me, to see Yuna standing a few yards away. Tears fell freely from her eyes and down her face. I stood up hurriedly. "Would you believe me if I told you it's not what it looks like?" I asked nervously.

"No," Yuna said quietly. "No I wouldn't." Turning quickly, she ran in the direction of the house.

I turned back to Lilith to see her smirking. "What's so funny?" I asked angrily. She said nothing, just faded away before my eyes.

"Yuna?" I said quietly, tapping on her door with my knuckles.

"Go away." Her voice wasn't angry, just sad.

"Yuna, I really need to talk to you," I pressed.

"Just leave me alone."

I sighed and turned the doorknob slowly.

"Don't come in!" Yuna's voice sounded strained and angry.

I opened the door. Yuna was sitting on the small red couch, her arms folded over the back of it, halfway turned around to look at me. "I told you not to come in," she practically spat, her eyes blazing with anger.

"And I told you I need to talk to you." I closed the door behind me and walked across the room, coming over to sit next to her.

Yuna turned away from me, returning her eyes to the window. "Fine. Talk."

I paused, not sure how to explain the situation she had just witnessed. "Well, uh, I'm not sure how to explain this, but…" I rubbed my eyes, trying to think. "That woman out there? Well, she wasn't really a woman. No," I backtracked as Yuna turned to look at me, a 'what the hell are you talking about?' look in her eyes. "Wait. What I meant was, she wasn't human. Isn't, I mean."

"You're making no sense," Yuna said bluntly.

"She's a demon." At Yuna's confused expression, I explained further. "I'm not really sure how to explain this, but one of the definitions I've seen is 'an agent of evil or ruin.' She's not human; she has powers to manipulate people. She's been hanging around me for a while, messing around with my mind. She's been making me hear voices that aren't really there, and I think she's making me see the dead."

Yuna looked at me for a moment longer, then gave me a 'give me a break' look. "Oh, come on! How stupid do you think I am? Do you honestly think I'm going to buy that?"

"Yuna," I said quietly, "It's the truth. I can't help if you don't believe it, but it's the truth." I stood and just walked out the door.

Walking back to my room, I couldn't believe this day could've gone so horribly, considering how  perfect the morning had been.

*~*~*

Morning

"Tidus." I could hear Yuna's beckoning voice, but I didn't want to get up.

I mumbled something- I'm not even sure what- and pulled the blankets over my head.

Yuna called my name again.

"No…" I groaned.

I felt the bed shift as Yuna lay down next to me. She molded herself to my form, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Come on, it's time to get up."

I said nothing in response, just snuggled closer to her.

She whispered in my ear, "I want to have wild, hot sex with you."

That was enough. I turned quickly toward her and pulled her close so our bodies were touching. "Okay, I'm up."

She grinned and turned her head to the door. "Rikku, you were right."

The girl Yuna spoke of appeared in the open doorway. "It worked?" she questioned, to which her cousin gave a nod.

I looked from Yuna to Rikku and back again. Suddenly it clicked. "You're mean. Both of you."

The closer of the girls snuggled against my chest. "You know I love you," she said simply.

"Yeah. Love you, too."

Yuna sat up. "Come on, time to get up!"

I groaned and sat up, stretching. "What time is it?"

Yuna looked to Rikku, who glanced at her watch. "Quarter past eleven," was her response.

I groaned, but whether it was because too early or too late, I wasn't sure.

My girlfriend stood and walked over to where I was sitting. She took one of my hands and pulled my up. Grudgingly, I stood. I pulled her close, resting my hands on her hips, and asked, "How about a 'good morning' kiss?"

She grinned and reached her arms around my neck, pulling my head down so our lips met.

Once our lips parted, I grinned stupidly. "The best part of waking up."

She returned the gesture. "How about some breakfast?"

"Sounds great," I replied, slinging my arms over her shoulders and leading her downstairs for some food.

*-.-*

Okay! Here's the latest chapter. Sorry if it confused people. Hell, it confused ME to write it.

Oh, before I forget ONCE AGAIN, remember that song Rikku listened to back in chapter 10? Well, I didn't write it. I stole it from my friend Angie. I'll have to remember to ask if it's okay at some point…

I'm considering making this a two-part story. What do you guys think? This is part one and part two would take place… well, in the future. That's all ya need to know.

But please review. I know, I know, everyone says that, but I recently told everything I've planned to the only two people I know are still reading this, and if the only people who are reading it know how it's gonna end, what's the point in continuing, you know?

Lesse… what else? There was other stuff I wanted to say, but now I can't remember it. Damn.

Well, there's always chapter 14.

Oh! Right! I found some pictures of me online! …I meant of me in costume. Duh. But, of course, there are only two that I actually look good in: one where you can't see most of my costume and another where I'm laying on people… O_o

Let me see if I can find any better ones…

(Ten minutes later) Okay, well, my computer pooped out on me and decided not to let me see pictures. So I'll show you when I post up chapter 14, okay?

Moo,

~E.N.

P.S.: I am much indebted to the great and powerful Bridgey for her help with this chapter. ::hug hug::


	14. With open arms and open eyes

Okay, before I start this chapter, let me just say thanks to all the awesome people who told me to continue DOE. You guys are, quite simply, awesome. I love you all soooo much. You gave me a HUGE dose of the ever-wonderful drug 'self-worth', the best stuff on Earth, shot straight to the jugular. Thank you all so very, very much!

Innit great to be loved?

By the way, Qui-chan, you're finally in here.

*-.-*

"Yuna, just let me explain!"

I could hear Tidus's voice fine through the wood of my door, but I ignored it. He'd been doing this for almost an hour straight. I had locked the door to keep him out and hadn't come out of my room since yesterday, when I found him making out with some slut on the beach. I hadn't even moved from my position on the couch, sitting backwards with my chest and stomach pressed against the back and my arms folded, resting on the top of the sofa. I watched the citizens of Besaid go about their daily lives; a boy chased his sister down the street with a stick held out like a sword; an old woman walked out of a house with the help of a young man I knew to be her grandson; two teenagers, walking hand in hand to the beach. It amazed me how normal these people's lives were.

My mind ran back yesterday's events, how perfect the morning had been. First, me complaining to Rikku about how I wanted Tidus to hurry and wake up, then her telling me a way to get him out of bed. I smiled slightly as  remembered his reaction to my words. The smile faded as the scene of the afternoon replayed itself. For a moment, I closed my eyes involuntarily and saw the image of him kissing that girl on the beach, her hair fanned out over the sand, as though it were burned eternally onto my eyelids. I opened my eyes and shook my head hard, trying to repel the ghosts of painful images from my mind. "Stop," I commanded myself quietly. Was my mind just TRYING to torture me? It certainly seemed like it.

And all this time, Tidus still banged on the door. I stood, growling in frustration, and went up to the door. After unlocking it, I swung it open to see Tidus, his fist still raised. "Stop banging," I commanded. "You're giving me a headache."

"Then just let me talk to you!" His voice sounded desperate, as though his whole life depended upon talking to me. As soon as the thought crossed my mind I banished it. If he was really that dependant on talking to me, he would have just waited until I was ready to talk, not bang on my door constantly for an hour.

"Why? So you can lie some more in a stupid attempt to make yourself look innocent, even though I KNOW you aren't?"

"Yuna, at least let me explain!"

"Tidus, what is there to explain? I found you making out with some slut on a beach. And then you come here and make up some stupid excuse about how she wasn't even human and she had some magical powers that kept messing up your life?! You actually expect me to believe that? What kind of IDIOT do you take me for?!" By this time I was almost screaming, my eyes threatening to overflow any second.

Tidus's voice was quiet. "I don't think you're an idiot."

"Then what do you THINK I am?"

"What about those dreams of yours, Yuna?"

I gasped lightly. How did he know about that? "That has nothing to do with it!"

"That has everything to do with it, Yuna." He started moving toward me, out of the doorway and into my room. I took a step backwards for every step he took forwards. "They started the day I came back, didn't they? And you've been having them ever since. You had one last night, too." By this time he had pinned me against the opposite wall. I was too shocked to do anything besides whisper, "How did you know about that?"

"She told me, Yuna. She's the one doing this to us. She gave us powers we can't fully understand. She makes me see the spirits of the dead, and she makes you see the future in your dreams." He leaned closer to me. "I'm not making this up, Yuna. You've never told me about your dreams. She told me she was doing it to you, just today. Yuna, you have to  believe me. Please."

The future. Was it possible? Was he telling the truth? The future… my eyes widened in shock. Last night's dream… was that a premonition? Would we have a daughter we couldn't care for? Would he really leave me someday? Could his words possibly be true?

Tidus backed away from me, with my eyes still wide from shock. I wasn't too shocked, however, to notice that his eyes held a quite blatant look of desire. It was obvious that he was dying to kiss me, hold me, to touch me somehow.

He squeezed his eyes shut hard, and when they opened again, the look was gone. He turned from me and walked out of my room, closing the door behind him.

I banged my fist against the wall in frustration. Was he telling the truth, or just trying to cover up for his actions?

I didn't know, and it was killing me.

--

"Hey!" Rikku's voice was muffled by my closed door, but I could hear her voice calling from… downstairs, maybe?

"Everybody! Come down to the living room, A.S.A.P.!"

I stood up from where I had been laying on the bed. Had I fallen asleep at some point? I didn't know. I looked at the machina clock hanging on the wall, but it was a few minutes before the numbers registered. Five forty-three, already? I looked outside. It wasn't even close to dark. It looked like there would be at least two hours until sunset.

I opened the door and walked down the stairs to the living room. In the room was Rikku, Tidus, (I remembered Lulu telling me she would be doing some work at the temple today [Teaching some of the Besaid citizens magic use, I thought]) and three strangers. One of these strangers was female, the others male.

"Yunie, sit down," my cousin said quietly. "There's something we got ta tell you guys."

I frowned slightly and took a seat on the couch next to her, turning so our eyes met. "What's wrong? Who…?" I finished my question with a look around. Rikku got the picture.

"Okay, time for some introductions." She turned first to the girl leaning against the wall, examining a dagger. "That's Myena. She's really good with weapons and the occult... at least, I think that's the word she used." She then pointed to the first boy, who sat behind her, on the arm of the couch. "That's Arel. He uses telekinesis and stuff."

Finally, she motioned to the only remaining stranger in the room, a man clad all in white, with matching eyes and hair. "That's Theo. He's kind of like the head of operations in their group. He knows everything, I swear!"

I looked back to the man labeled Theo, an amused smile on my face.

The lightest of blushes rose on his cheeks. "Rikku, I doubt I know everything." His voice was low and slightly musical, as though he was a professional singer who had spent too much time working, making his musical voice carry into his speaking voice.

The one called Arel grinned, showing almost fang-like teeth. Then something even stranger happened. A young man's voice echoed through my mind, and, by the looks of it, everyone else's. _You have to admit, Theo, that you know more than most of us here._

Myena snorted. "Speak for yourself, Arel." When the all of the Spirans' eyes (except for Rikku's) fell upon her, she explained. "Arel uses powers of telepathy to speak," she said simply, twirling a lock of her dark-brown hair that, I noticed then, was cut short (about three inches below her ear) and oddly riddled with red streaks.

"Doesn't that get confusing?" I questioned. It seemed like it would.

Myena simply shrugged. "We're used to it."

"Getting down to business," Theo said pointedly, stopping any further conversation. "There is a reason we are here. Lady Yuna, you and Sir Tidus are in grave danger."

"Hm, ya think?" Tidus asked sarcastically.

The tone of his voice caught my attention more than his words. Glancing sidelong at him, I noticed his stance was tense. He leaned against the wall, trying to look casual, but his entire body was stiff ((A/N: Merry, just shut up -.-)), his arms crossed over his chest and his left ankle hooked over his right. But his eyes… they were filled with malice, and something else… could it be jealousy?

I looked back at him, giving him a questioning look. It appeared that he was, for some reason, jealous of Theo, but I couldn't tell why. My eyes turned stern, and I looked back to the guest.

"Please, Sir Theo, continue, and ignore my friend's comments," I sent another hard glare Tidus's way.

If Theo saw this, he ignored it. "Lady Yuna, my companions and I are here to protect you and Sir Tidus. You see, there is a demonic force surrounding you two, a force that could effect many, many beings." He turned suddenly to Rikku, the only person in the room who had been so far unconcerned in the conversation. "Rikku, I need to stress how important it is that you pay attention. Though this does not concern you now, it will soon. Well… perhaps  not soon by your human time measurements." He paused a moment, thinking, then shook his head. "It does not matter. Be content knowing that it will, in time, concern you quite a bit."

Rikku's eyebrows rose. They kept eye contact for a few more seconds, then Rikku shifted her gaze to the floor, quietly muttering "Okay, whatever."

Theo turned back to us. "Well, first, let me explain who we are. You know our names already. We are what they call Angels."

"Angels?" I asked, confused.

He nodded. "Angels are beings from another dimension--"

"Dimension?" I interrupted again.

The "angel" sighed. "A dimension," he explained, "Is like another world, another time. This world could be a copy of another, or it could be entirely different."

"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand."

"Then let me finish," Theo commanded gently, his patience far from thin. "Say, for example, there is a copy of Spira. This Spira, though it may contain the same citizens, could be entirely different from your own, just because of the actions of one person. Say, for example, the you in another dimension chose to become a priestess instead of a Summoner. How would that world differ from your own?"

"Well, Sin would be here, no one would know about Yevon's true face, and the Yevonites would still be in power."

He nodded. "True, Lady Yuna. Now, say that, instead of defeating Lady Yunalesca, you had chosen to take the traditional way of defeating Sin, by receiving the Final Aeon. How would THAT Spira be different?"

"One of my guardians and myself wouldn't be here." I paused a moment, thinking. "I think I may understand. But what about the worlds that are completely different?"

"Well, those are places that have no relation to your Spira or the people around you."

I nodded slowly. "So, Angels are what they call the people from the world you came from?"

Theo nodded. "Yes. Just like the people here are called Spirans, the inhabitants of Eden are called Angels."

"Eden… and that's your world?" There was so much I didn't know about the places beyond Spira, places I had never known existed.

The Angel nodded again. "Now that you understand that, allow me to explain why we are here. Like I said, Lady Yuna, you and Sir Tidus are in grave danger." Theo's eyes flicked to Tidus, as though expecting him to interrupt again. When all Tidus did was meet his eyes with a hard glare, Theo looked back to me and continued. "There is a creature who has taken interest in you, a demonic spirit. Her name is Lilith and, as far as we can see, she has been following you for quite some time. I believe the time you could relate it to is eleven years." He looked to Myena. "Correct?"

The other Angel shrugged. "Hell if I know."

Once again Arel's voice entered my mind. _You're correct, Theo. Continue._

"Eleven years…" I murmured. Since my father died? Why would she take interest in a seven-year-old girl?

Theo gave me a questioning glance but quickly continued. "She has a vast amount of power, Lady Yuna. I must stress how much of a danger she is to you and your…" his eyes darted to Tidus, an amused half-smile on his face. "…Friends," he finished.

I could only nod. He was telling me so much that it was hard to absorb it all.

"I still say we exorcise the bitch and get it over with," Myena said, pausing any further explanation for the moment.

"Exercise?" I asked. It still fascinated me that I knew so little.

Myena laughed. "Not the way you're thinking. To exorcise means, like, to banish. Ya know, kick her out."

"You can do that?" I asked, looking to the white-haired Angel.

Theo nodded.

"Then why haven't you?" Judging by the tone of his voice, Tidus was still mad at these strangers for something I couldn't comprehend.

My back stiffened as I stood. I yanked Tidus out of the room by the arm. "Please excuse us for a moment," I said over my shoulder.

I pulled Tidus out to the entry hall and spoke in a hiss. "What's wrong with you today?"

Our angry eyes met. "What do you expect me to do?" His voice was also a harsh whisper "I saw the way you were looking at that guy when you first came in, I saw how you were practically hanging on his every word. I love you, Yuna; do you expect me to just sit around here while you flirt with some stranger?"

My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped. "What are you talking about?! I was NOT flirting with him!"

"Right," Tidus replied sarcastically.

"And," I continued. "I don't see why you don't like him. He's PROVING your POINT. What could you possibly have against him?"

He grabbed me by the shoulders, and for one wild moment I was afraid he was going to throw me into the wall.

"He's just trying to help," I say, my voice cracking slightly from the emotion I was holding in. I didn't know what was going to happen, and I was scared. I was confused and still scared from my dream the night before. I just wanted it to be over.

Tidus was silent, but much of the anger was gone from his eyes. He let go of my arms. 

"Come on, let's just get this over with," I begged.

"How do you know we can trust this—this Theo?"

I looked away. "I don't." I met his eyes again. "But do we have any other options?"

My eyes must have showed my desperation, because he gave in. "Fine. I'll hear him out."

I smiled slightly. "Thank you."

Halfway to the living room, I turned. "One more thing."

He raised his eyebrows, silent.

"Just because I found out what you said about that demon is true, it doesn't mean you're forgiven."

I had turned and walked into the room before he could say anything in response.

"Theo," I asked, sitting on the couch in front of him. "I have a question."

Theo nodded. "Please, ask."

Choosing my words carefully, I asked what had been bothering me since the afternoon before. "You said that an Angel is anyone from Eden. That's just a term of identification, right?"

He nodded again.

"So… what about a demon?"

Theo sat back. "A demon is different. An Angel is specifically from Eden. A demon can be from any world. In fact, all worlds have demons, even if they are only minor ones. Like, for example, on Spira, you have demons referred to as 'fiends.'"

"But the fiends are gone," I reminded him. "I sent them when I sent the Aeons."

"Do you honestly think being told that you can go away is enough for those who have not yet accepted their deaths? That is what a fiend is, correct?"

"No one has seen one since the beginning of the Eternal Calm."

"No one here had ever seen an Angel before about three months ago. Does that mean we did not exist, Lady Yuna?"

"Well, no…"

"I am not trying to make you feel stupid, milady. I am just answering your question the best way I can."

I nodded. After a few moments of silence, I asked, "So, how do we get rid of this demon?"

"There are very few ways to get rid of a demon of Lilith's power. What do you say we do, Arel?"

_I agree with Myena. We should have an exorcism._

I had quickly become accustomed to hearing the young man's voice in my head. But he and Theo kept their eyes locked a moment more. Theo nodded suddenly and looked to Myena. "You will perform the ceremony, will you not?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm the only one who can recite it from memory."

"Will this work?"

The man who had answered all my questions turned back to me. "There is no way to know for certain. If it does not work, it will almost definitely weaken her enough that we can defeat her."

Rikku, who had been silent this whole time, her eyes on the ground, now raised angry eyes to Theo, but he didn't notice.

"I'm going to need some stuff," Myena said simply.

Rikku tore her eyes quickly from Theo. "I'll help. My dad has an airship we can use. It can take us anywhere in Spira."

I regarded her curiously. This whole day she'd seemed… a lot more serious than usual. I made a mental note to talk to her about it.

Myena nodded, and the girls left, silent.

Theo stood. "I am afraid we must go, too. There are some things Arel and I need to look into."

I stood. "Thank you for all you've told us," I said, bowing. "And it was nice to meet you, Sir Theo, Sir Arel."

Arel bowed his head slightly in response. Theo took my hand and kissed it. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Yuna. I hope we are able to help you."

I blushed slightly. "Please, call me Yuna. There's no need for formalities, since you could be saving our lives."

He nodded, smiling. "Myena should have everything she needs by the end of the week, depending on if it all exists in this dimension…"

My eyebrows rose. He smiled once more. "Never mind." With a glance at Arel, he dropped my hand and said, "We should go." He looked to Tidus. "It was nice meeting you, Sir Tidus."

Tidus nodded, and the two strangers left quietly.

I looked to Tidus. We were now alone together in the house. A week ago I would have jumped at the idea of spending the alone time laying on one of our beds, kissing and talking. But now…

"I'm going to go take a nap," I announced and made my way up the stairs and into my room.

Once there, I lay down on my back, staring at the ceiling. I wanted so badly to believe that Tidus really HAD been under Lilith's power, that she was controlling him, but I just didn't know.

I really wasn't tired. I just wanted to be alone… to think. I hadn't planned on sleeping. I wanted to try and figure out if Tidus really WAS innocent in that whole ordeal with the demon.

I didn't WANT to sleep, but, of course, within moments I was out cold.

I sat in a large, well-lit room, surrounded by people, mostly those I recognized as members of the Al Bhed tribe. My hair was pulled up in tight curls on top of my head and pinned down so it looked like it was styled in a bun. I was wearing a beautiful white lace dress with a long, sleeveless slip under it. The lace went down to just below my knees and covered my arms and part of my hands, where the sleeves tapered off into points that were secured to my middle finger with a thin band of fabric, and the slip was so long that it pooled around my feet. I was sitting at the head of a long table, and next to me… was Tidus.

He looked slightly older; his hair was a little longer, but not so much that it looked messy. His face looked the same, if not a little less boyish and childlike, and his eyes seemed wiser and… I would say more caring, but that wouldn't be right. Paternal, maybe.

Two things surprised me about him at that moment: one, the clean, gold-trimmed robe he wore and two, the brown-haired, blue-eyed girl in his lap. She, too, was dressed up, but, unlike us, who both wore white, she was clothed in a light blue dress with flowers embroidered onto it and white tights. Her short, brown hair was pinned away from her eyes with a dragonfly-shaped bobby pin on either side of her face. The girl was playing with things on the table in front of her and giggling. She received plenty of attention from the woman to her left, who played with her and passed her sweets when she thought Tidus and I weren't looking.

It took me a moment to realize that the woman giving the young girl so much attention was Lulu. She wore a black dress, like the one she had worn on the pilgrimage, but more appropriate for a woman of her age. The neckline fell in a V-shape that was neither too low nor too high, with sleeves that belled out near her hands. She was different from the Lulu I'd known for so long; instead of being stoic and cold, she seemed friendly and cheerful.

I looked to my right. There, sitting next to me, along the side of the table, was a blonde Al Bhed. She wore a long, sky-blue dress of the same color as the little girl to my left's. The Al Bhed, however, had a small bouquet of blue and white flowers laying on the table in front of her. Her long hair hung in ringlets down her back and had small blue flowers stuck in some of the curls, giving the impression that her hair was vines, dotted with growing blooms.

She met my eyes and smiled, and I instantly knew it was Rikku. She leaned closer and said, "I still can't believe it! After SO long, you guys are FINALLY married!"

I smiled back at her. "I can hardly believe it myself," I found myself saying back, speaking slightly loudly to be heard over the din. "Two whole YEARS we've been waiting!"

She hit my arm jokingly. "I know, took you guys long enough!"

We grinned at each other.

Somewhere down the table, someone began hitting one of their eating utensils against their glass. Others picked it up, and soon the noise of silverware clanking against glass was everywhere.

I looked to Tidus. He was already looking at me, and I leaned over and kissed him intensely, my every movement reverberating the love and happiness that already filled the air around us.

The little girl in his lap giggled, pointing at Tidus and my locked lips. When we pulled away, she looked at her father and pointed to her mouth, nodding. He laughed and gave her a quick peck on her lips, and she giggled again.

The scene before me began to fade, but I didn't want it to. I knew it was a dream, and I didn't want it to end. I slipped my arm through Tidus's and rested my head against his shoulder in a futile attempt to keep from being pulled away from this peace, this celebration of our love for each other.

But, like I said, it was useless.

Despite having been taken from my wonderful, serene dream, I woke up with a feeling of warmth and tranquility. Tidus loved me. I had overreacted when I saw Lilith kissing him, the night before. After all, she had kissed him, not the other way around.

I slowly became aware of someone next to me; I felt his arms around my waist, his face in my hair, the skin of his legs that his black shorts exposed against mine.

I snuggled back against him, enjoying his warmth. Tidus wrapped his arms tighter around me.

I kept my eyes closed, blissfully enveloped in his essence; the way he smelled, the way his skin felt against mine, the way his breath tickled my ear; the sheer HIM-ness of the moment that was almost overpowering me.

"Yuna," he whispered, not knowing I had awoken. "I know you'll be angry to find me here when you wake up, but I missed feeling you in my arms so much… when I saw you lying there… I just couldn't help it. I love you, Yuna. I never meant to hurt you. I know you're asleep, but I'm so sorry. I wish that kiss had never even happened. You know I wouldn't ever kiss anyone who wasn't you."

"I believe you," I whispered back, startling him so much that he jumped.

I turned to face him, opening my eyes in time to see him blush.

"I'm sorry, Yuna," he murmured.

"I know," I said back, my voice hushed, as if talking any louder would spoil the peace.

"If I knew--" I cut him off by covering his lips with mine. He returned the kiss's passion to me, and once again I was enveloped in him. Suddenly everything was perfect. Lilith was gone, had never existed. Nothing that had happened that day, or the day before, was real. It was all a dream.

But, when we pulled away, a second or a millennium later, it all came back. I gasped almost silently and buried my face in Tidus's chest.

He pulled me close, his arms tight around my body. He lightly caressed the top of my head with his lips, and I pulled my arms up around his middle.

"How this had to happen to us?" I asked, knowing he'd know what I was talking about.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I wish I did."

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself not to burst into tears. It all seemed so hopeless.

Despite my efforts, I felt the tiniest bit of liquid squeeze out between my eyelids. The tear ran down my cheek and landed on Tidus's bare chest.

He must have felt it, because he gave me a quick, hard squeeze and buried his face in my hair. "No, don't cry, Yuna."

Him telling me not to only erased my control completely. I sobbed openly, my face pressed to his skin.

Tidus pulled me back and held my shoulders. "Yuna, look at me," he said so sternly I had no choice but to obey. I raised my tear-filled eyes to meet his.

His voice grew more comforting. "Don't cry. She's trying to make us miserable; every tear we shed just takes her closer to her goal. We have to be strong."

I nodded, but I didn't feel too strong right then.

This must have showed, because Tidus said, "Repeat after me, Yuna: We'll get through this."

I echoed him in a whisper.

He leaned forward a little, as if straining to hear me. "What? I couldn't hear you."

"We'll get through this," I repeated, louder this time.

He smiled and pulled me back into his arms. "That's my girl."

I nuzzled against him, wishing with all my heart that I believed our shared words.

*-.-*

Okay, first, let me apologize to anyone who was confused in reading that. Hell, I was confused writing it.

Second, let me say, yes, Arel IS based on Meta from the Claris Project (highly recommended and at www.kurai.com, in the section labeled "meat". I'm just too lazy to go find the actual link ^^;;;;;).

Third, for any potential stalkers, I decided to post a picture of me in my Rikku costume: 

Aren't I just beautiful? XP

Fourth, mucho thanks and rainbows to the all-mighty Shad-chan, who beta-d this and gave me uber-wonderful advice. Ah lurve you, Shaddeh!

Fifth… uh… well, there SHOULD be a fifth thing, but… I guess there isn't… I can't help but feel like I'm forgetting something, but I don't know what…

So, if I remember, I can always post it in the next chapter, hai?

~E.N.


	15. The Thrill Between Your Legs

"Mm... what time is it?"

"Um." I opened my eyes against the blinding sun and squinted at my clock until the numbers made sense. "Eleven-eleven." A smile slowly crosses my face. "Make a wish."

"Oh," Tidus turned away. "Okay."

He immediately turned back. "Eleven? Already! C'mon, Yunie, we have to get up!"

I snuggled closer to my boyfriend. "Dun wanna," I mumbled stubbornly. Tilting my head upward a bit, I added, "And since when do you call me 'Yunie'?"

The man grinned down at me. "Since I decided that you needed a cute nickname," he answered as his arms encircled my waist.

"Then I get to give YOU one."

Tidus hesitated, then said, "I. don't think so."

"Oh, I do!" I smiled and leaned back a bit, looking him up and down mockingly. I tapped my chin with my index finger for a moment, trying to come up with a suitable pet name. My brain skipped all over the place, searching for some blackmail to dig up. When I couldn't find anything, I focused on his name. Tidus.. Tee-dus. I repeated the syllables in my head until something clicked.

"Dusty," I replied with a decided nod.

Tidus groaned and turned sideways, burying his head into a pillow while I sat up next to him.

"Or Sunny," I mused, fingering a lock of his flaxen hair.

He groaned again.

A grin spread across my face and I flopped forward so my cheek rested on his back. "You smell good," I commented, my voice muffled by his shirt.

In a swift movement the newly-named Dusty rolled over and pinned me under him. Burying his face in my neck, he said, "You do, too."

I giggled as his breath tickled skin.

"I keep forgetting you're so ticklish," he commented absently, nuzzling against my shoulder. A second later I felt his tongue draw a line from my collarbone to my jaw. I giggled again, suddenly slightly breathless, and placed one hand on his hip and the other on the back of his neck, pulling him as close to me as possible. I closed my eyes as he kissed my neck and chin, and practically melted into the bed when one of his hands found my thigh.

"Yunie, time to get-oh!"

Tidus practically flew off me in an attempt to look innocent. And he succeeded, aside for the fact that Rikku had already seen him laying on top of me.

I, however, looked pretty much anything BUT innocent. My face was completely flushed, and I was grinning almost insanely, panting for breath. "R- Rikku!" I exclaimed, trying to find an excuse. "We were just . . . Uh . . ." I looked to Tidus for help, but he just shrugged.

"It's not what it looks like?" Tidus suggested meekly.

Rikku started to back slowly out of the room. "Um . . . yeah. Well, you guys have to hurry up and get ready, we're going to Luca today!"

"Luca?" I questioned. "Why Luca?"

"Because Myena still needs to get some stuff for the... thing she's doing. Yeah. Exorcism, that's it. She can't get all the stuff she needs in Besaid."

I nodded. "Okay, just give me a minute to get changed and brush my hair, okay?"

Rikku nodded and left my room quickly, obviously still embarrassed for barging in on us.

I looked to Tidus. "You better go get changed, too. Can't go shopping looking like you just got out of bed, right?"

He smiled boyishly at me. "But I don't want to get up," the ex-blitzer whined, burying his face in the nape of my neck.

"Hey!" I protested. "That's MY excuse!"

Tidus said nothing, just snuggled closer, wrapping his arms around my middle.

"Dusty." My voice held an obvious warning in it. "Come on. You wouldn't keep your girlfriend from SHOPPING, would you? It's what girls do best!"

"I can think of about a million things you can do better than waste money."

I smirked. "Name one."

"Kiss."

I laughed. "Well, even still, I want to go shopping. And I haven't been to Luca for so long…"

My boyfriend smiled and grudgingly sat up. "Okay, as long as I get to choose your clothes for you."

I whimpered. "Someone save me."

Half an hour had passed by the time we were settled comfortably on the airship. I was perched over Tidus's outstretched legs in one of the window seats, my forehead leaning against the wonderfully cool glass. It was unbelievably hot for April, the digital thermometer on the wall reading almost ninety degrees, and Cid had turned off the air conditioner because it used up too much gas. I was actually glad that Tidus had picked the cool, airy clothes he did for me, however inappropriate they were.

The boy upon whom I was currently seated absently moved his fingers in an abstract design over the skin exposed by my dark denim shorts. Suddenly he moved his head from where it had been resting on my shoulder and looked behind him. I turned, too, but saw nothing.

Tidus apparently had, because he watched whatever it was for a moment, then looked back.

My eyes met his. "What is it?" I asked curiously.

He looked away quickly and, after a moment's hesitation, shook his head, with a mumbled "Nothing."

I let out a quiet "hmm" of disbelief, then settled myself back against his chest. I knew what "it" had been, and I knew why he wasn't telling me. He had seen someone, or something, and didn't want me to worry about it. Part of me thanked him for it, but part of me wished he could tell me anything he saw or heard.

"Do you think you have to protect me?" I asked quietly. "Because you don't. She's affecting me too, you know."

I felt his chest as he sighed. "I know. But I'm your guardian, remember? I'm supposed to do everything I can to, well, guard you."

I shrugged. "Anyway, let's just drop the subject. So, what are you going to look for in Luca?"

I felt his cheeks shift against my shoulder and knew he was smiling. "It's a secret."

I pouted. "You're no fun."

His smile broadened. "You'll know soon enough. Be patient, love."

I sighed mockingly. "Alright, fine. Keep your secrets."

"Trust me, you'll love it," my boyfriend assured me as he kissed my shoulder blade.

I smiled and leaned my head against the window. "You'd better not give me a hickey. That would be way too hard to explain to Lulu."

"Too late."

I whirled and looked at him. "What!"

Tidus reached up and pressed a finger to the back of my neck. "Right there. But, don't worry," he assured me. "Your hair hides it good enough."

"Well enough," I corrected out of habit.

"Whatever."

I laughed and spun around, positioning my legs were on either side of him. "Well," I said, knowing my eyes were gleaming devilishly, "if you get to give me one, I get to give you one."

The boy looked surprised for a millisecond, then smirked. "Deal."

"Do they always do this?"

Upon hearing Myena's voice I jerked my head back. Tidus's eyes snapped open, his face flushed.

Rikku who, I noticed, was standing next to the Angel, simply shrugged. "You get used to it."

My cousin looked to Myena, then back to me, a stunned look in her green eyes that passed quickly. "Nice outfit," she commented with a knowing glance at Tidus.

I blushed and said nothing. She didn't add how my clothes didn't suit me, though I knew she was thinking it. We both knew that the halter top with its plunging neckline and denim hot-pants were better suited for an outgoing Al Bhed than a quiet ex-summoner.

"I picked it out," my boyfriend explained with a grin.

Rikku gave him one of her many 'looks,' this one telling that she already knew. "Yeah, I kind of guessed that."

"I could say the same thing for you, Rikku." I motioned to her own attire, a purple bra-like shirt with a brown leather vest over it and a blue skirt that was only as long as it had to be. "There wouldn't happen to be anyone you'd like to impress, would there?"

My cousin blushed brightly and looked down, her silence an answer in and of itself. I couldn't help but wonder who, exactly, she was trying to impress. The only ones on the ship were her, Tidus, the Angels, and myself.

I smirked. So she was sweet on an Angel.

"Uh. anyway," Rikku said quickly, looking up. "We came to tell you guys that we should be in Luca in about fifteen minutes."

I smiled and gave her a nod. "Okay."

There was silence for a moment, then Myena grinned, almost evilly. "Well, we'll let you get back to your work, Lady Yuna."

I blushed profusely, looking down as she and my cousin, who was holding back giggles and reprimanding Myena for being "mean," walked back to wherever they had been hanging out for the trip thus far, probably the control room.

I met Tidus's eyes with my own, silent for a moment.

He grinned after a second. "Well, are you gonna take her advice?"

I laughed and leaned close to him once again. "You know it."

"Oh, Rikku, come see this dress!" I called, craning my neck behind me in an attempt to locate my cousin in the huge Lucan store.

The Al Bhed bounced over to me from the fitting rooms. "What do you think?" she asked, spinning around so I could see her short, flowered dress.

I smiled. "It's cute. How much is it?"

Rikku searching for a price tag and found it hanging from the left sleeve. "Four hundred and eighteen Gil."

My jaw dropped.

She just laughed. "Come on, Yunie, this is LUCA! Everything's expensive here!"

"But four hundred Gil for a DRESS? That's insane!"

My cousin smiled slyly. "And how much is THAT one?" She questioned, motioning to the dress in my hand.

I looked at the price tag. My face paled. "Eight hundred." I quickly replaced the garment it its original place.

_What're you girls looking at? _

I jumped a little; I hadn't even heard him walk up behind us. I turned and smiled a bit at the Arel who was leaning against a nearby clothing rack and peering over my shoulder.

"Just the worst-priced clothes I've ever seen," I answered simply.

He wrinkled his nose at the dress I had just put back. _You like that kind of thing?_

I laughed a little. "Usually, no, but I thought it was cute. Little did I know it was eight hundred Gil."

The Angel looked thoughtful. _And that's… expensive, right?_

I stared at him. "For clothes, yes!"

_And expensive is… bad, right?_

My brows arched and, with a glance at Rikku, slowly replied "…Yes, it's bad when you're on a budget. Don't you have money where you're from?"

_We do, but it's if Myena's calculations were right, eight hundred gil isn't too bad._

I shrugged. "If you say so."

It suddenly occurred to me that Rikku and I were the only ones who could hear our companion, and, upon looking around, I noticed the saleswoman behind the counter was staring at us with interest.

I lowered my voice. "And I wish you would talk with words instead of... however you do it," I muttered. "People will start wonder."

He sighed. _But this way's so much easier_, his mental voice said as he gave a fake pout.

"Not for, the people who're getting stared at. At least do some hand motions or something, make it look like you can't talk."

"Or something," Rikku added hastily.

I glanced at her. Was Arel the one she was trying to impress? I didn't know; I wasn't very good at identifying other people's feelings.

The Al Bhed met my eyes. "Hey, why don't we go somewhere cheaper?"

I nodded. "Just let me find-"

My words were cut off as unnecessary when I felt someone's hand brush my against my hip, and I turned my head to see the boy I was just about to look for.

We shared a quick smile. "Find anything?" Tidus asked as he slung an arm over my shoulders.

I snorted lightly. "Not that I could afford."

"Which one?" The bleach-blonde blitzer asked curiously.

"This." I pulled the blue short-skirted dress off the rack it hung on, wondering why he cared.

He grinned. "It's nice. How much?"

"Eight hundred."

His brows rose. "For a DRESS? I mean, not that it's not nice or anything, but isn't that a bit much?"

_They've both been saying that, but back in the Silver City, things cost MUCH more_, Arel piped up.

Everyone in our small group looked at him.

"Silver City?" Rikku asked. "Is that where you live?"

Arel nodded. The Silver City is the capital of Eden. It's the most populated city in our world.

"Do you miss it there?" I asked. I knew that I would miss Besaid if I went somewhere where people didn't even know the little island's name.

He sighed. _I can't say that I do. The Silver City was no more of a home than anywhere else Theo, Myena, and I have traveled._

"You all go to the same places together?" Tidus inquired. "Don't you get to work with anyone else?"

The Angel shrugged his shoulders. _We've had other Angels help us, but usually it's just the three of us._

Upon looking around once more, I saw that the clerk looking at us. again. Some people definitely needed to learn to mind their own business. "Hey," I said quickly. "You guys wanna go someplace else? Somewhere where people are friendlier?" I said the last part with a pointed glare at the woman who found us so fascinating.

Tidus frowned a little. "Sure." the blond said slowly.

Once we were out of the store I massaged my temples with my middle and index fingers to fend off a growing headache. Rikku was talking to Arel, trying to find out more about his Silver City. Tidus, however, was watching me intently.

"You okay?" he asked, concern in his eyes and voice.

I smiled up at him. "I'm fine, that woman was just annoying me."

He tilted his head at me. "Woman? Which woman?"

"The one behind the counter. She kept staring at us while we were talking to Arel. I wish she would mind her own... business," I said, quickly squelching the curse that rose in my throat.

My boyfriend nuzzled against my neck. "Hey, don't worry about it. You'll never see her again. Besides, some people's lives are so boring they don't have anything better to do but butt into other people's business."

A smile crept across my lips, the headache having dissipated for the moment. "How is it you can always make me feel so much better, no matter what the problem is?"

I felt him grin against my shoulder, where his head now rested. "It's a gift."

"Well, I hope you never lose it. It could come in handy some day."

"Lady Yuna? Is that Lady Yuna?"

I couldn't help but wonder why people always find me at the worst moments possible as I quickly pushed myself away from the wall I had been pinned to by aforementioned boy.

I cracked an eye open to see who was talking to (or about) me and groaned. Caught in the act. Before me stood a reporter and camera man. I didn't claim to know much about machina, but, judging by the little red light flashing on the camera, we were currently being filmed.

"Oh Yevon," I muttered.

I looked at my blushing boyfriend, knowing my face was just as crimson as his. He met my eyes as we both tried to keep from laughing.

Willing myself to sober, I took a deep breath and said. "Yes, it's me."

The woman briefly looked me up and down. "Um... Lady Yuna, would you and Sir Tidus mind doing a quick interview with me? I mean, since you're here and all. Unless, of course, you have something to do?"

"Oh." I looked to Tidus "Um, no, we were just looking around."

"Excellent! This'll get me on the news for sure!" The reporter raised an arm and pulled it downward, her hand making a fist, in one of Tidus's signature movements that much of Spira had adopted. She abruptly remembered the camera was still recording and turned to face the machina, her air instantly turning professional.

"Good evening, Spira!" She said into the glowing blue microphone. "This is Kaia on location in Luca, where I have just found Spira's favorite couple, Lady Yuna and Sir Tidus, who have agreed to a brief interview with me! Now, Lady Yuna," She turned to me. "All of us remember you as the quiet summoner from Besaid who saved Spira from Sin. Now, judging by your current clothes, you've, uh, 'changed' quite a bit. Can you tell us what inspired the transformation?"

I smirked and held up my index and middle fingers. "Two things. One, Spira itself has changed, and no one wants to be behind the times." I lowered one finger. "And two, it comes from having a boyfriend who I let pick out my clothes." I said the last bit with a grin at the blond next to me.

He blushed again and threw his head back, covering his face with one hand. "Yuna! You didn't have to say THAT!"

I giggled. "You know I did."

Kaia's attention was then drawn to the boy at my side. "Well, Sir Tidus, since I've gathered that you're responsible for Yuna's new outfit, why did you choose that particular one?"

He grinned and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Guess."

"Ooh, someone's a little feisty today," I commented.

"Well, after last night, what can you expect?"

I blushed intensely. "Ah! He didn't mean it like that, really!" I assured the reporter.

She smiled mysteriously. "Of course he didn't. That, however, raises a question. I'm sure Spira would like to know, Lady Yuna, if you are or are NOT a virgin."

"Ah!" I exclaimed again, covering my face with my hands and leaning heavily against Tidus. I hoped he would think of some cute little answer for me.

He seemed to get the hint, but answered in a way I had REALLY hoped he wouldn't. "You don't REALLY want to know, do you?"

I didn't think I'd ever been so red in my entire life. "Why is it that you always have to embarrass me?"

The blitzer grinned. "Because you turn the cutest shade of red when you blush."

"One more question, if you please, Sir Tidus," Kaia said, sounding slightly uncertain.

The boy she talked to quickly turned to her and nodded. "Shoot."

The young reporter looked relieved. "Okay. It's common knowledge that you mysteriously disappeared after the fight against Sin. So, how did you get back here?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned and shook his head. "To tell the truth, I really don't know how - or why - I'm here. All I know is that I'm here now, and I don't know if I'll ever go back to wherever it is I went, so I'd better make the most of it."

I stared at him, my eyes revealing my shock. He thought he could be sent back? I wondered why he hadn't told me.

Tidus looked at me and smiled lovingly. His eyes told me that it was all a lie, just something to feed the public. I realized that the people of Spira wouldn't want to know the truth; about how there was some demon terrorizing us that we didn't know how to stop. Besides, that would trigger too many questions.

I smiled at the reporter. "Any other questions?"

She smiled back and shook her head. "Thank you for your time, Lady Yuna and Sir Tidus."

The light on the camera flicked off, and the man holding it nodded to the brunette reporter. She nodded back and turned to us. "We may need to cut some small bits out of it, but if you wanna see it, the interview will be on tonight's evening news. Expect it around... six-thirty, maybe?"

I nodded and preformed the bow, the prayer gesture from when Yevon was in power. Spira had adapted its meaning as a gesture of parting or meeting, being unable to tear itself completely from its roots. She bowed back and jogged off. "Bye, Lady Yuna!"

"Rikku!"

Upon hearing my name called, I turned to find the speaker.

Myena was walking towards me quickly, her black boots clicking on the sidewalk.

I smiled at her. "Hi, Myena. What's up?"

"Do you know where I can get some of these things?" She passed a short list over to me.

I looked over the paper and frowned lightly. "Garlic, cloves... you sure this isn't a recipe?"

"Funny," the Angel replied sarcastically. "Garlic and cloves are good for purification and exorcism. The white candle you see down further" - she pointed down the paper a little - "is for the invocation of the Fates. The black candle is for the banishment of negativity. The red is to represent love, because it got us all into this mess in the first place. Barley is for cleansing, cotton for purification, water for healing, and the rest is for a whole mess of stuff."

I paused, thinking. "I think I know a place where we can get at least MOST of this stuff, but a lot of it is really hard to come by on Spira."

Myena nodded. "Okay, good. Can you take me there?"

A few minutes later, Myena, Arel (who had been silent through Myena and my brief conversation), and I stood in front of a small shop. I led them through the door with its dusty windowpanes and tinkling bells, and called to the owner of the store. "Bara! Oui eh drana?"

A female voice come to me from the darkness in the back of the store. "Oayr! Fru ec ed?"

"Ed'c Rikku!"

"Rikku?" There was a rustling of papers and boxes, and the creak of a door, and then out stepped Bara, the Al Bhed shopkeeper. She tucked loose strands of blonde hair up into her bun and pulled a pair of green-tinted goggles away from her eyes. "Ec ed naymmo oui?"

I smirked. "Hu, ed'c sa krucd. E teat eh dra vekrd ykyehcd Sin." Then I reached up and covered my mouth with my hand, remembering that Bara's brother had been killed in Operation Mi'ihen. "Ur! Bara, E's cu cunno!"

The older Al Bhed smiled. "Ed'c ugyo." Then she looked behind me and noticed Myena and Arel. "Oh! How impolite of us, speaking Al Bhed around Spirans! Rikku, why didn't you introduce me to your friends?"

I smiled. "That's Myena," I said, pointing to the female Angel. "And that's Arel. He doesn't talk much." I said this while motioning vaguely in his direction.

My fellow Al Bhed smiled at them. "My name's Bara. It's a pleasure to meet you. So, what can I help you all with?"

I handed the paper I still clutched to Bara. "Do you have any of these things?"

The woman looked the list up and down a few times, then nodded. "I have most of it, I think." With that, she disappeared into the back room.

About ten minutes later she returned, her arms full of the needed goods. "Okay, Rikku, I've got everything on your list. except water. Do you really need to BUY water? Because I have some, if you do."

"No," I said quickly. "We have water."

"Okay. Well, your total comes to a hundred and thirty Gil."

My jaw dropped.

"Hey, this lot doesn't come cheap! Some of it had to be imported from place like Bikanel, and Macalania!"

"Come on, don't I get a discount? I'm almost family!"

Bara laughed. "Rikku, we're the same race. That HARDLY counts as family. But, since I know your father so well, I guess I could give it to you for one-fifteen."

"Deal!" I pulled out the desired Gil from my leg-pouch and slid it across the counter to my friend.

Once I had my purchases, Bara called out the door to me, "Hey! You'd better come back and visit me sometime! I haven't seen you in years!"

I laughed. "Sure! Maybe when I come looking for a birthday gift for Yunie!"

"Her birthday's soon? Tell her I wish her a happy birthday!"

"I will!" With that, we left, with me in the lead and Arel letting the door swing closed behind him.

.-

A/N: Christ, it's been so long! And I'm sorry! But you can see how long this chapter is! Just look at it! Thirteen pages! Plus, I've been working like crazy on my Yuna costume; I just finished tonight, and I need it for tomorrow x.x; I'm the queen of cutting it close.

I know, I know, the picture of me didn't work last time. I know why; let me just find it again.

Okay, got it. ?photo23110papasssort2thecat500 I hope it worked! If not, well, y'all will get to see me soon enough in my Gunner Yuna costume P. Yes, that's the costume I'm working on. Insane? Oh yes. I am.

Mucho kudos to Merry-san, who beta'd this for me twice, and even made her cameo debut (she's Kaia, the reporter from up top). If there's something wrong with Rikku's section up there, it's because I wrote it at three AM and she's not on to beta it for me. Subliminal message: Read One More Second, by akan-gaaru. It'll knock your socks off.

Wish me luck and rainbows at Anime Boston! I'll be wearing my Yunie, so I'll need all the luck I can get, what with that top. and the crazy fanboys. I'm afraid, mommy!

E.N.


	16. Your paranoia's probably worse

Just a note—

For anyone who's reading my original story (Sic Transit Gloria) on fictionpress.com, there are massive, massive spoilers in this chapter. STG is about my Angels, and DOE takes place about five years after it ends, so... yeah. Probably just wasting space, since I think all of three people (if that) read STG.

*-.-*

There are those days when a person wakes up and knows, without a doubt, that his or her life is going to change that day. The tension in the air is palpable, thick enough that you can slice it with a knife.

It was a morning like that, some time in mid-June. The air was already hot and humid, as Besaid springs and summers usually were. The weather conditions made me want to turn over, nuzzle closer to Tidus, in whose bed I was currently laying, and go back to sleep.

I got a little surprise when I tried to accomplish this, however.

I expected the boy next to me to wrap his arms around me, or wake up and say, "Good morning," or _something_. Anything other than what he did.

The blond blitzer mumbled, "Too hot," and pushed me off the bed.

A yelp escaped my lips as I fell onto the floor, my legs tangled up in sheets that had once covered us both. This must have been what pulled him the rest of the way out of sleep, because his head popped up over the bedside. His eyes were wide, and he apologized profusely.

"Yunie! I'm sorry! I was, like, half asleep! Sorry! Sorry!"

I giggled and struggled to get up. "It's okay, really. I'm not hurt or anything, it just surprised me."

"I'm sorry," he said again, sitting up and holding out his hand to me. I grasped it gently with my own, and he easily pulled me back into bed with him.

Wrapping his arms around me, Tidus held me so close against his chest that I could hear his heart beat. "It's hot." I stated simply.

"Gee, I didn't realize."

"Oh, hush," I responded with a smirk.

"Fine, fine. You know I just like poking fun."

We sat in silence for a little while, neither of us knowing nor caring what should be said. After a moment, I broke the silence. "So, today's the big day," I stated simply.

Tidus looked down at me, confused. "Hmm?"

"Myena's . . . going to do her . . . her exorcism today, isn't she?"

He pulled his eyes from mine. "Oh. Yeah."

I pulled back from the muscular chest I had been formerly resting my head against. "What's wrong?"

Tidus raised his right hand and rubbed the back of his neck rather sheepishly. "It's nothing. Really."

"No," I pressed. "It's _not_ nothing. It's something. Now, what was it?"

He didn't say anything.

Suddenly it hit me. "You're afraid."

He blushed. " . . .Yeah. Guess I am." He rubbed his neck again, his cheeks darkening even more.

"Why?" I questioned. I was afraid, too, but I wanted to know what could scare my near-fearless lover.

"I guess . . . I dunno, I don't know what's going to happen."

"It's just magic," I pointed out practically.

"Yeah, but she said she needed us to do the magic with her, and I've never done anything that powerful. You know me, haste and slow are all the spells I need."

"But that doesn't mean you should fear powerful magic."

"I know, I know, but . . ."

" . . .But you can't help it?" I finished for him.

He nodded, looking away.

"Hey," I said quietly, gently pulling his head onto my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, okay?" I whispered into his hair. "Myena knows what she's doing. She told me she's done these things so many times she could practically do it in her sleep."

His grasp around my waist tightened. "I know. But I just can't help it. I feel like something bad's going to happen."

I smiled a little and pulled his head close so that his forehead touched mine. My lips gently and briefly pressed against his. "I'll protect you. Promise. Nothing bad will happen as long as I'm around you."

He reached a hand up and placed it against my cheek, rubbing my lips with his thumb. "I love you, Yunie," he said quietly. "Don't you ever forget it, okay?"

I ran my hand over his chin and giggled. "You need to shave."

He smirked. "And the award for best ruined moment of the year is . . ."

I laughed again. "I love you too, Dusty. And I always will." I leaned my face forward a tiny bit, so that our lips were millimeters apart. "No matter what."

*~*~* ([Once again, that means a new character's POV.])

"It's fairly simple, really," Myena assured Yuna, Rikku, and I a few hours later. "All you have to do is say what I tell you to."

"You get the easy part," Theo, who stood behind Myena, remarked. "Arel, Myena, and I have to do the complicated bits."

"Well, yeah," Rikku agreed laughingly, "because you guys have more experience with this kind of stuff!"

It was two o'clock by the time Yuna and I decided to get out of bed, and two-thirty when the Angels showed up, each of them carrying a bag.

Myena opened her own sage-green satchel and pulled out three white bundles of cloth. She handed one to each of us and glanced briefly at Arel. The other Angel nodded and looked at those of us from Spira.

_You three need to take a cleansing bath. I can set one up, but, well, I need somewhere to do it._

Rikku nodded. "There's a bathroom upstairs. Here, let me show you where." With that, the girl bounded up three stairs to a small landing and waited. Arel grabbed his bag and followed her up the rest of the steps.

Yuna giggled a little, drawing everyone's attention. "They make a cute couple, don't you think?"

Theo glanced at Yuna. His eyes held some strange sort of envy, and I frowned as he shrugged disinterestedly, as if he hadn't noticed. "I suppose so." The man's voice was nonchalant. I wondered what exactly it was that he was hiding.

*~*~*   ([WARNING: rambling, ahoy!])

"In here." I moved to grab the doorknob . . . at the same time Arel did.

His hand covered mine over the brass knob and stayed for a moment.

Not knowing what to do next, I slowly turned the knob, and the Angel pulled his hand away from mine so quickly that I wondered if my skin had somehow burned him.

I ignored the blush that was quickly spreading across his face and motioned to the bathroom.

The angel smirked. _Ladies first._ Even his mental voice was mocking.

I threw him a sarcastic smile and decided that I'd show him. Using the technique he taught me, I thought the word "Cute" and imagined myself literally pushing the sound from my mind.

The man's head snapped around and he stared at me, then slowly grinned. _You're getting better, Rikku_, he commented as I walked past him.

A triumphant smile spread across my face as I perched on the edge of the sink.

Arel was really a lot more interesting than most people noticed. I didn't know what it was about him, but something in the way he moved, or how his eyes looked when in deep conversation, entranced me. Sometimes I couldn't stop watching him.

Like now. His sleeves were rolled almost all the way to his shoulders, exposing muscular arms and various scars as he waited for the tub to fill with water.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I didn't want to leave, and I figured Arel would get suspicious if I just sat there staring at him for the whole time.

He looked glanced at me and then at his supplies. The Angel nodded and moved to the side, picking up a large jar of tiny green crystals. _I'm going to pour these in the water. You just stir it around with your hands and make sure it settles out even, okay?_

I nodded and hopped off the counter, plopping onto my knees next to him. The water made a gentle swish as I swirled my hands in it. I heard the pop of a lid being pulled off of something and the tinkering of the small crystals falling onto the bottom of the bath.

A moment later I heard Arel's voice in my mind again. _Okay. That's enough._

I nodded and pulled my hands from the water, drying them with a towel. "What else can I do?"

He handed me a white candle and motioned toward the rim of the tub. _Set it up around the outside._

I nodded and placed the beeswax pillar in a corner where the porcelain of the bath joined the tiled wall and turned to Arel. He put another candle, this time a dark, rich blue, in my hand and started on his side of the basin, setting out bars of scented soap, flowers, and more candles.

I sighed upon seeing how Arel had unknowingly made a simple task into a work of art and plopped the candle that still rested in my hand unceremoniously next to the white one.

--

A few minutes later the bath was ready for whoever was to use it. I stood to go, but suddenly felt something brush against my leg. I looked down and saw Arel looking up at him, his hand lightly resting just above my knee.

_Stay, _he coaxed, his mental voice quiet and seductive.

I smiled a little.

The Angel blushed. _I . . . need your help with this next part._

I said nothing as I sat back down, but the smug look on my face spoke enough. The possibility that he only wanted me to stay because he enjoyed my presence made my heart soar.

He put his hands over the water and, after motioning with his head for me to do the same, closed his eyes.

I, of course, obeyed the unspoken command.

I heard him in my mind again, his words holding a strangely soothing quality to it, like a murmur that floated lazily inside me. _Just close your eyes. Breathe deeply. Imagine that there's a white light flowing from the ground into your legs. It swirls into your body, through every organ and limb, until it gets all the way to the tips of your fingers. Imagine it's coming out through the pores in your hands, and falls into the water below them. _

It was a lot easier than I had thought it would be. I obeyed his every command, concentrating as hard as I could on this task. There was a strange feeling in my chest, one I had never felt before. It was as though golden butterflies were flying around my lungs, being absorbed by the alveoli there and circulated through my entire body. The sensation made me want to laugh and dance and sing and run, all at once, but I managed to overpower the urge and stay where I was.

Then the last thing I expected happened. A voice to my right echoed off the walls, quiet and gruff from lack of use, but still strong and sure.

"Lady Epona," the voice began, "great goddess of water, I ask of thee, aid us now."

Confused questions rattled in my mind. Who was speaking? The only people in here were Arel and I. I knew that I wasn't the one speaking . . . so that meant it had to be my companion. The idea seemed strangely foreign to me, but I supposed it wasn't impossible.

"Great Mother, I ask of thee, purify this water. Make it cleansed and pure with thy great power, that it may pass this cleansing magic to those who bathe in its pure, holy light."

So Arel was finally talking. It was so strange to hear him through my ears instead of in my head, because when a person projects his or her voice to you using their psyche instead of their vocal chords, you don't really hear the specific words. You hear what they're saying the same way you hear your own thoughts: without real distinction, just something that suddenly pops into your head. The reason you know you aren't just thinking it is that you can feel the presence of the other person in your head. It's really hard to explain through words; it's one of those things you need to experience on their own.

Then, for some reason I couldn't understand, he started to speak the spell in rhyme.

"Great Epona, remove any blight,

In this water with thy shining light.

By all the force of land and sea,   
As I do will, so mote it be."

He repeated the short poem a few times, giving me the feeling I should join in. But, as I opened my mouth to do so, the Angel fell silent.

_Okay, Rikku. That's all we have to do._

I opened my eyes. "That's it? Just say some stuff and imagine other stuff?" Wow, Rikku. You sound brilliant.

Arel, however, smiled kindly. _That's it_, he assured me. _It's a pretty simple spell._

I shrugged: hey, anything was fine with me, as long as it worked.

_Um, Rikku . . ._

"Yeah?" I responded cheerfully, secretly hoping that he was going to kiss me, before getting a hold of myself. He wouldn't want to kiss me. He was at least two years older than me.

But the Angel turned to face me and, still kneeling, pushed himself the tiniest bit closer to me. _Thanks_.

I frowned a little, wondering why he was thanking me. I hadn't done anything worthy of his appreciation.

Sensing my confusion, or reading my thoughts (something I really hoped he couldn't do), he explained, _You know, for helping me and the others out so much. We wouldn't have been able to do any of the things we did if it weren't for your help._

I smiled. "It's what any decent friend would do," I answered simply.

There was a pause, and then an unidentifiable look slowly enveloped his eyes. _Friends? Is that all we are? I was hoping that. . . perhaps there was some way. . ._

The sending of thoughts stopped without an end.

". . .Yes?" I prompted, finding myself somehow nervous.

The Angel pulled himself onto his knees (he had been sitting on his heels before) and inched one leg forward, so that he was leaning scant inches in front of and slightly above me. _Perhaps there was some way that we could some day be more. _If I weren't so terrified of the inevitable kiss that was rapidly approaching, I would've been amused that Arel was so blunt and to-the-point, even with such an intimate statement as the one he just made.

I knew I was staring, and I knew it was rude, but I also knew that I couldn't look away, not even if I wanted to. . . which, of course, I didn't. "Can't we?" My voice came out as a whisper: anything louder would have ruined the moment.

Arel reached up a hand to my face, resting his palm against my cheek, and lifted my face gently towards his own. Though I knew it was coming, my eyes widened in shock when his mouth closed lightly over mine, then slowly, my eyelids closed.

*~*~*

I remember a case Theo, Myena, and I took on Earth once. Our orders were to investigate a demon that had concentrated its power in the body of a perky little gothic girl named Rachel. This creature made her do things she didn't want to: she'd black out for hours at a time, seemingly for no reason, while the demon possessed her and forced her to do its will.

On this specific case, we had to follow Rachel into an abandoned place the teenager had called an "amusement park." The park contained stands that we were told used to house games with stuffed-animal prizes or food that was sold to park visitors. There were great hulking forms made from bent steal and decaying wood (Rachel informed us that these were old rides that were too dangerous to use anymore).

In a turn of events, we ended up following Rachel (who, unbeknownst to us, was being possessed by the demon and trying to kill us all) onto one of the dangerous attractions that we later found out was called a roller coaster. The creature we were trying to kill had used its power to put the coaster back into use, sending us along a wild ride that quite nearly brought about our demise, until Myena and Theo thought of a counter-curse to turn the spell back on the demon.

The ride, once I looked back on it, would have been much more enjoyable if our lives weren't in great danger at the moment: the cars moved along the tracks at a speed that was wild and scary, wonderful and terrible at the same time.

That was what it was like for me to kiss Rikku. It felt like my body was being pushed forward at hundreds of miles per hour, being hit by many different emotions at once. On the one hand, it was wild and exhilarating, making my body pulse with life that it hadn't felt in years. On the other hand, it felt scary and forbidden, kissing a girl who was younger than me than anyone, save my partners, knew (Angels are near-immortal, and can look the age of twenty, as I did, for undeterminable amounts of time).

I was also acutely aware of her taste, more so than any other girl I'd ever kissed; when my lips met hers, I was reminded of the scent of sea and sand, of the way salt water tastes when accidentally swallowed while swimming, of the way it felt to revive something that hadn't seen life in centuries, of the Al Bhed's love for adventure and risk. While our lips were locked, I could feel everything that was important to her, everything she valued in life. I felt the severe love for her Al Bhed family and her favorite cousin, with whom she currently resided, the pain of how much she missed her Home, where, I had been told, her people had been united under one roof for the first time in many, many years.

All these thoughts and emotions passed through me like lightning; fast and hard, in a way that takes your breath away for a few moments, causing me to wonder if she was feeling the same rush of emotions from me. Did she feel my love for Myena, the sister whose relationship to me the Spirans had never been told, my pain at being taken from my home and brought to the Silver City to work the will of a ruler I had never seen? Did she feel anything I felt?

Or did I only get this rush because I was an Angel, and possessed powers that she didn't?

*~*~*

"What's taking them so long?" Myena muttered angrily. "Arel can cast this spell in five minutes, tops, and they're been in there twenty at least."

"Maybe they're making out on the bathroom floor?" I suggested, giggling like a ten-year-old.

Theo shot me yet another glare, but quickly regained his "I couldn't care less" attitude.

Frowning lightly, Tidus mused, "I think you hit a nerve, Yunie."

My gaze fell to the floor as I puzzled over the Angel. He was an enigma, of that much I was certain. I couldn't understand anything he did. But that was no surprise. If I knew what he was doing and why, I wouldn't need his help with this.

He sighed. "I am going to go check why it is taking so long." That was what he said, but what he meant was "I'm going to prove you wrong."

Myena sighed as well. "Excuse us for a minute, okay? I have to go talk to him."

*~*~*

_What's wrong with you today?_

Myena's voice echoed through my mind, and I sighed. _Nothing_, I responded, my thoughts carrying my anger to Myena's mind.

_You're a liar, Theo._ She said calmly. _You're not getting attached to her, are you? If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: You can't become anything more than a savior to your charges, or you'll set yourself up for heartache. Just remember what happened with Kari._

I glared angrily at her. She didn't need to say that. She had no right calling upon my past the way she had. _You do not have to remind me. Do you honestly think a single day goes by that I do not think of him, or what I did to him?_

"Theo . . ." My partner spoke with her voice, instead of her thoughts and touched my arm gently.

I shrugged away from her. "Stop it. I did not need your condolences after it happened, and I do not now. You are not my friend, Myena. You are nothing more than my partner, okay?"

Her eyes fell to the ground. "Yeah, okay. Whatever." With that, she turned and headed towards the staircase. When she reached the top step, she hesitated and turned toward me again. "And Theo? Even if I'm not your friend . . . you're mine, whether you like it or not, and it's a friend's job to look out for her friends."

My patience was gone. "I do not care, Myena. You are one of those stupid people who makes the mistake of thinking that everyone cares about your input, well, you know what? I do not. I do not need your advice, and I do not need your sympathy for something I did years ago. Just stop."

"No, Theo," she replied angrily. "You stop. You stop pretending it was so long ago that it doesn't affect you any more."

"What makes you so sure it does?"

In one quick motion, she grabbed the end of the bandage that I'd wrapped around my hands that morning and tugged. The long, thin piece of linen fluttered a little in the air, as though upset at being disturbed from the position it had been in all day, then fell to the ground.

A little gasp escaped my lips. I tried not to look at my bare hand, but, like all things you will yourself not to do, the effort made something in my brain itch. I couldn't keep my eyes closed any longer: my eyelids slowly slid apart, and the bright red stains my mind had put on my hands stood out against my pale skin. It had taken me months to finally accept that the bloodstains I saw whenever I happened to glance any part of my hands weren't really there, that they were just an illusion I saw whenever I felt guilt about my first task as an Angel. It took me a year or more to admit that there was some small part of me that was insane enough to distort things I saw beyond all recognition.

These stains were what told Myena that I did, in fact, still care about what I had done five years ago.

"Just as I thought." Myena nodded grimly as she said this, for some reason beyond my comprehension.

Anger boiled in my veins, turning my blood to liquid fire. I could no longer contain my temper, and when I spoke, I couldn't control the words that came out, or the volume at which I spoke them. "Shut up! Just drop it! Do you think that I cannot feel regret? I can! And do you know what I regret now? I regret the fact that cursing in Eden can get me executed, because you know what I want to say to you now?" My voice rose in volume with the knowledge that I couldn't be punished in Eden for what I did on Spira. "Just shut the fuck up! I think I regret murdering my best friend more than you do, seeing as I was the one holding the fucking knife! I am the one who is fucking insane because of it! I do not need you to tell me how I should or should not feel about someone! Do you know what it is like to murder someone you love? Do you know how it feels when you carve out their heart and hold it in your hand while it tries to pump blood that is not there? Have you felt it wrench your heart when their last words are 'I love' and they die before they can even finish their sentence? Do _not_ talk to me about what I have done to Kari, Myena. You have _not_ gone through the shit I have, do _not_ pretend you have!"

I didn't stop because I ran out of things to say. It was just that, at that moment, I suddenly realized that I was shouting at the top of my voice: everyone who had been in the house at the time of my outburst had come from wherever they had been to watch the cool, calm Theo who never let anything get to him when he finally lost it.

There were five people watching my outburst. One of them looked at me in confusion mixed with distrust, one in anger, two in confused pity, and only one with something resembling understanding. I met Arel's eyes, ignoring everyone else, and a silent understanding passed between us. When I walked down the stairs, shoving roughly past Tidus and Yuna, who had probably heard me screaming at Myena and came to see what was going on, he followed.

I couldn't stand to be in that place anymore. The entire house was throbbing with Lilith's power, her influence. I could feel her presence in every room, and, honestly, it was overwhelming. I had to get out of there.

I closed my eyes and concentrated (on what, I don't know, just that I had to concentrate). An image of the Besaidian shore flashed in my mind, and I clung to it. In my mind I saw myself sitting there, on the beach, my legs held up against my chest.

I held my hands out in front of me, palms facing away from me, my arms making a ninety-degree angle with my body. I quickly pulled them up and outward so they drew a circle in the air. I could vaguely hear the voices of the house's inhabitants and my partners trying to answer their questions.

"What's he doing? Arel? Myena?"

"He... Dagda! Arel! He's teleporting!"

_Don't worry, Myena. I'll follow him._

"Hurry up! He's flickering!"

_I've already got his signal. I know exactly where he'll be._

"Then follow him! You know I can't lock onto him, what with how mad he is at me now."

The voices faded behind a sudden rushing in my ears. I was being pulled in all directions at once, being forced forward and pushed backwards at the same time, moving everywhere at thousands of miles per hour. Then, suddenly, I felt the sun on my bare skin, the sand underneath me.

My eyes opened and I looked up, allowing the sun to scorch my retinas as I lay back from my sitting position.

Arel's head intruded on my vision as he leaned over me, his expression neutral.

"Do you mind?" I didn't feel like dealing with anyone right now. Why couldn't they leave me alone? "You are blocking my view."

"Of?" Arel turned his head to look in the sky, shading his eyes with his arm to keep the sun's rays, searching for whatever I was looking at.

"Of the sun." It took me a few seconds to realize he spoke with his voice instead of his mind. "You are talking again?" I needed to think of something, anything, besides Kari, who'd been summoned to my thoughts by Myena.

Arel laughed. "Sorry, would you rather I didn't?"

I shook my head a little and smiled slightly. "It is... nice." A blush crept up my cheeks as an unknown embarrassment coursed through me. Why was I embarrassed? This was just a friendly conversation between friends. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

It wasn't as though I were in love with him.

I smiled a little to myself. No. I wouldn't fall in love again. Especially not with a fellow Angel. I wouldn't repeat my mistakes again. Emotions take too much work to control, anyway. They hurt too much.

My fellow Angel grinned. "Well, thanks, I guess. Can I join you?" he motioned with his head to the spot on the sand next to me. When I nodded and propped myself up with my elbows, he lowered himself onto the ground, sitting with his bent legs crossed over each other. His eyes met mine, and he flashed me one of his contagious smiles, his eyebrows arching a little.

A small laugh escaped my lips. Arel was the only person who could cheer me up when I thought about Kari. He always was. When Kari had died, I tried to cry myself to sleep as silently as possible, but Arel always heard me. He came into my room every night for weeks after and stay up all night with me, letting me cry on his shoulder. There were times when he felt like my only friend, the only thing left in the world that was good.

I missed those nights. I learned so much about Arel then, while he said whatever came to mind in an attempt to soothe me and keep me from thinking about Kari. He told me about is home in the Summerlands, told me about the things he did there when he was young. It was then that I learned that Myena was his twin sister, and that she was one of four sisters and two brothers.

All I wanted now was to be able to cry on his shoulder again, to have one of his arms around me, his other hand running over hair, for him to calm me with his gentle voice until I fell asleep against him, only to wake up an hour later after a dream of what I did to Kari haunted my sleeping mind, and find him there still, sitting on the edge of my bed, his arms still around me. I wanted things to be like they used to be again, before we were too afraid of the misconceptions of anyone who saw us like that.

My thoughts were pulled back to the entire reason I was out here, and I pulled my eyes my friend's. "She did not need to say those things, you know. She should not have talked about him like she did. Just because he is dead now does not mean he never lived."

Arel nodded. "You're right. Myena doesn't really have much respect for the dead. She never has, honestly. When we learned that Ezra was killed in a raid, she barely turned the stone."

I ignored his strange idiom, passing it off as something from his homeland. "Ezra? One of your brothers?"

He nodded. "He was also one of Myena's best friends. He was the closest to our age at the time."

"How old were you?"

"Eleven, I think. Maybe twelve. Ezra was thirteen at the time, that I remember, because my mother sobbed over and over 'he was only thirteen' at his cremation."

I shuddered. "I am sorry, Arel, but I can't help but find that practice barbaric."

"That's not the point. Mader was bawling, as was most of our family, and Myena didn't shed a single tear. The moral of the story is" – at this point he stretched out and lay down next to me – "she doesn't mourn the dead. She told me once that after a person died, it was like they weren't people anymore. That she already had too many living people to worry about – at that time we helped our mother care for our own younger siblings as some of the other children in the village — to waste thought over the dead. And I guess once you get out of the habit of caring about certain things, it's hard to get back into it, seeing as she had very few people to care about once we were taken to the Silver City."

I sighed. "I suppose I am to blame, too. I overreacted."

Arel gave me a crooked grin. "You could say that again."

I punched him lightly in the arm, pretending to be offended, but a smile played on my face as well.

The smile faded quickly, however. "I understand why she said what she did. I mean, she was only looking out for me." I paused. "It just... hurts. Like ripping open a wound that has just healed."

Arel's look turned neutral, as well. "I know." He looked hesitant. "Do you want to talk about it?" His arm draped itself over my shoulders.

I shrugged, keeping my face emotionless even as my eyes filled with tears.

"Theo . . ."

I couldn't stand the kindness in Arel's voice. The tears spilled over and coursed down my cheeks as I pulled my legs up to my chest. I rested my forehead on my knees and, though I was willing myself not to, sobbed uncontrollably. I could vaguely hear my partner say my name again, but all I could comprehend at that moment was one simple thing: I was here and Kari wasn't. I'd never get to see his smile, hear his laugh, or even talk to him again. The reality of these thoughts, though I'd thought them millions of times in the past five years, hit me with the force of a brick crashing into my stomach at hundreds of miles an hour.

I felt an arm wrapping around my waist, gently pulling my close against a muscular chest. I rested my head on Arel's shoulder as I did so many years ago and wept, for Kari, because he was no longer here, and for myself, for the same reason.

And Arel, trustworthy, dependable, Arel, as always, was trying to calm me in the same way he had so long ago, smoothing my hair, whispering to me. My arms tightened around his waist involuntarily, but he didn't seem to notice. My hand rested on his lower back. He didn't notice that, either. Or maybe he did, and he was just ignoring it. He did, however, notice when my hand "accidentally" slipped down an inch or two.

"Hey, do I look like I'm taking advantage of you, Theo?"

I blinked, turning my head to look at him. "Uh . . . no. . ."

He grinned. "Then stop taking advantage of me."

I smiled a little, my tears slowing themselves to little sniffles, and I rested my head on my friend's shoulder again.

"Theo. . ."

"Yes?"

"You're not coming onto me, are you? I mean . . . I've told you before, I'm not--"

"I know, I know. You like women, and only women. I have not forgotten." My smile widened to show I meant no offense, and I again turned my head to look at him. "That does not mean that I cannot hug you, does it?"

"No, but it means you can't grope me."

"Fair enough." I sat up, leaning away from him, and wiped my eyes on the back of my hand. I snorted a little, refusing to meet Arel's eyes. "I feel like a little girl."

This made him laugh. "Hey, little girls aren't the only ones who cry."

"They are in Eden." Sexist though the statement was, it was true. Most boys didn't shed a single tear from the time they were eight, when they started training, until they got their first wings, because everyone cries when they first get their wings, even if some deny it. You'd cry, too, if your back were splitting almost in half.

My friend shrugged. "I guess adults in the Summerlands are more caring towards their kids. We don't get called names for showing emotion."

"You make it sound like children in Eden are paraded around town and get things thrown at them if they cry." Though I hated how my world was run, and who was running it, it was still my home, and this jab at its people and our outlook on feelings stung a small part of me.

Arel blushed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you." Though I knew he could read minds when he wanted or deemed it necessary, I also knew he was excellent at reading people's emotions through their voice and body language, so I knew he wasn't using his powers.

I shrugged. "Do not worry about it. I mean, Eden makes itself an easy target for people from other dimensions."

He laughed and looked up at the sky. "It's getting late. We should get back to the house," he advised, standing.

I stayed where I was, shifting my position only to look up at him. "She will not forgive me."

My partner smiled. "She will. After all, you got angry, not her."

"Thanks, make me the bad guy." I smiled to show that my comment was meant only in fun.

"Well, you deserve it." He offered me his hand, which I accepted and used to pull myself up to a standing position. A muscular arm slung itself over my shoulders, and I flashed a sunny grin to the man on my left, no longer upset in the least. "But don't worry," Arel continued. "Really. She won't mad. I promise."

"How do you know, Mister Psychic?"

"Because I'm talking to her right now."

It was then, when he said that, that I noticed his eyes were slightly out of focus, the way they get when he's Sending. I let out a sharp breath in a mockery of a cough, looking toward the ground as we started toward the house. "For how long?"

Arel shrugged. "A while."

The conversation ended, allowing for us to walk on in companionable silence the rest of the way.

*~*~*

"Myena, what just happened??"

I was sitting on the stairs, my fingers massaging my temples and leaning so the railing supported my side. My vision was slightly dim, and I feared that I felt a migraine coming on. The last thing I wanted to do was answer questions from my charges. I would much rather lie down in a dark room and concentrate my energy on healing myself. Selfish though it was, I didn't feel like dealing with anyone right now, not after I'd spent so much energy arguing with Theo. Absorbing his anger like I had while we were communicating with thoughts had zapped almost everything in me. I needed to build my strength back up if I was going to lead the exorcism tonight.

I inhaled deeply. "Theo teleported. It's something us Angels are taught to do. It's very difficult; most of us prefer walking or, for the more experienced, flying. Theo always had a natural talent for it, though." I shrugged. That was as much of an explanation as they'd get from me until my head started to work again.

Yuna, who'd asked the question, nodded, satisfied.

It was Rikku's turn. "Where did he go?"

Why couldn't they shut up? These people should be psychic. Then they would know that I wasn't in the mood to answer questions. I just shrugged again in response to the blonde's question. "Hell if I know. When he was younger, right after his first task as an Angel, he discovered a minor, uninhabited dimension. He didn't tell anyone about it but Arel and me, so maybe that's where he went."

"Who the heck is Kari?"

I sighed. I knew this would be coming. "I'd say you should wait for Theo to tell you himself, but Brigid knows that, if it's up to him, you'll never know. And, since you all overheard us like that, I think he made it your business to know . . . and since those two ran off to who knows where, they made it _my_ duty to tell you the story.

"Kari was a friend of ours. Well, I personally didn't know him well, but he slept in the same barrack as Arel and Theo. The three of us all at least knew of him, but he was . . . well, let's just say more than a friend to Theo. At least, that's how it seemed. But whether or not that's true isn't important. If friends were all they were, they were certainly good friends. The best, actually. They'd been through a lot together by the time Kari died. Too much to get into now.

"Now, it's important to understand one thing about Eden. Angels are warriors, and that's pretty much it. If you're born with some sort of disability, and you're male, you're killed on sight, no questions asked. If you're female, they wave it, but you can't get any sort of education, no matter how minor your disability is. Basically, your life path is set. Your only point of living is to get yourself pregnant. Sometimes they allow women to run their own shops or the like. But that's not the important part. If you're born healthy, you start training at age eight. For two years, you learn how to read and write Angelic, and you learn basic arithmetic, and, of course, basic fighting skills. When you turn ten, you become an apprentice. From then on, you learn only skills that can be used on the battlefield, basic defense and offense magic, and advanced fighting. This is all an apprentice does until dusk, when they're let off of classes and have free time. A person is an apprentice until they turn seventeen, when they're promoted to a rank called kouhai for a year. A kouhai studies under a pre-selected Angel for a year, and then they become an Angel themselves. As soon as they become an Angel, they're given two partners. The three Angels are assigned tasks, missions, whatever you want to call them, by the ruler of Eden. We don't know his name, but I can't tell you what we call him, because it will call his attention to us, and I'm not supposed to be saying any of this.

"Obviously, Theo and Arel are my partners. I was lucky to have my own brother assigned to me. That usually doesn't happen. But anyway, our first task was to take out another group of Angels from our year. We were each assigned one of the three, and we each had to kill the person we were assigned to. I was assigned to an Angel named Evelyn. She was a sweet girl . . . sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing by killing her. I don't remember who Arel was assigned to. We each had specific instructions to carve out our assingments' hearts and present them to The Na-- to our leader." I paused a moment as Rikku gasped in disgust, then continued.

"Theo was assigned to kill the leader of the group, as he was the leader of ours. The leader was, obviously, Kari." I stopped, trying to gather my thoughts. "I don't know much about what happened when Theo confronted him, only what I was told afterwards. Apparently Theo cracked under the pressure. He couldn't take the idea of killing his best friend, so he tried to tell him what was happening. Our ruler wouldn't stand for that, so he took over Theo's mind and made him kill Kari." I stopped, wondering what else I should say. Should I tell them about how Arel and I overheard our leader crying every night after that? I decided that, while that was unnecessary, there was something else about the Angel they should know.

"I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but did you notice those bandages Theo had his hands wrapped in this morning?"

My three listeners nodded, almost in unison.

I continued, "They're there for a reason. You see, the night after he killed Kari, he saw his friend's blood splattered all over his hands. It didn't go away, either, no matter how raw he scrubbed his hands. I remember stumbling in on him while he was trying to get it off. The water he was washing his hands in was red, yes, and, yes, it was mixed with blood, but what Theo didn't know was that it wasn't Kari's blood in the water. It was his. He'd been scrubbing them so hard, and for so long, that his hands actually started to bleed from the friction." This summoned another horrified gasp, except this time it was from Yuna. "I grabbed his hands to try and stop him . . . but his eyes . . . if I ever forget the way they looked that night, it'll be a blessing from Dagda, that's for sure. I don't think I've ever been scared of him in all the years I've known him except that night. He was looking at me, but it was like he didn't see me, like he was looking through me. He just kept whispering 'I have to get it off,' over and over. I called Arel in, and together we managed to cast a sleep spell powerful enough to actually work on him. We bandaged his hands for him and carried him to bed. When he woke up, he took off the bandages and still saw the bloodstains. He washed his hands again, not as hard as he had the night before, but the stains still didn't come off. He just put the bandages back on and didn't say anything about it. He did that every morning for months until he finally realized that blood wouldn't come off, because they weren't really there. It was almost a year after his first task was completed that he accepted the fact that part of him wasn't exactly right, that, you know, part of his mind had gone crazy enough to make him see things that weren't there. Now, he only sees the bloodstains when he misses Kari or feels guilty about what he did to him."

There. Now they knew everything they needed to. I looked around at me audience as they digested this story. Maybe I should have given them a more condensed version. It was a lot to take in in one sitting.

"Any questions?" I asked weakly, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that always followed the stories I told.

The Spirans all shook their heads.

"Poor Theo . . ." Yuna murmured, more to herself than anyone else, but Rikku nodded in response.

"Yeah," the blonde agreed. "I had no idea . . . he seems so happy all the time . . ."

"I don't think it bothers him as much anymore," I explained, "so that's why he can act so happy so much. I mean, it _was_ five years ago, after all."

_Myena._

Upon receiving my brother's thought, I jumped like a scared rabbit, even let out a little yelp, which called everyone's attention to me. _Make it quick_, I responded simply, knowing that my response was received more faintly than usual, due to the blinding pain growing in my head.

_Are you okay?_ My twin's mental voice flooded me with his concern, making me smile a little.

_Migraine_. I wasn't strong enough to Send long sentences. Dagda knew I'd pass out if I tried.

_I see. Well, Theo and I are on our way back._

_Tell him I'm sorry?_ I'd realized in retelling the story that, though I didn't mourn the dead, I knew Theo did, and it was foolish of me to have forgotten this.

_Tell him yourself. We'll be there in a minute._

I nodded before realizing he couldn't see me. _Okay._

There was nothing else to do here. I stood slowly, but instantly regretted it as a wave of nausea passed over me. I steadied myself on the railing with one hand, placing the other over my stomach and willing it to calm itself. I shouldn't have used energy on healing myself, because now I felt a little tipsy, like I'd had a little too much to drink, but I wouldn't let myself puke all over Yuna's carpet.

I turned to the brunette. "Theo and Arel are on their way back. I, personally, have a migraine. Got anywhere I could lay down for a little while?"

She nodded and stood to show me into her own room. It was nice enough, though I'd expected it to be like the cluttered, messy room with posters on the walls and drawings and such tacked up everywhere I'd wanted when I was her age. Yuna's room was painted a pretty, pale sea green color, and the only thing on the floor was the carpet that matched the walls. Her bed was wooden, with designs carved into the headboards and footboards, and made very sloppily. A writing desk, also wooden, was the only cluttered thing in the room, with papers, pens, books, and a comsphere all strewn haphazardly over its surface. On the wall across from that was an armoire, again made out of wood, sharing the same carved design as the bed. On the wall next to that, a few feet away from the bed, was a couch that seemed to have been thrown in there for the hell of it, its gaudy print of huge red flowers clashing with the other furniture in the room.

Yuna touched my shoulder, as if questioning why I hadn't taken a step past the door. Blushing a little, I walked slowly across the room to perch awkwardly on the edge of the other girl's bed. She pulled over a chair from her writing desk next to the bed and, after sitting down, allowed her fingers to gently hover on my forehead, barely touching my skin.

By that time in my life I'd been around magic enough to know when someone is going to cast a spell, and I could tell that Yuna was about to heal me. The air around us had shifted slightly, began pressing gently against us. Then something I never expected to witness here in Spira happened.

Yuna started glowing.

Slowly at first, starting at her feet, then the light quickly climbed her legs and torso, until her entire body seemed to be shining. I had to close my eyes tightly against the light the girl was emitting.

A familiar cooling sensation filled me as I absorbed the girl's spell. A feeling of lightheaded tiredness came over me, giving me the almost undeniable urge to sleep. It was all I could do to stay awake until my partners returned. When they did, I'd ask them to transfer some of their energy into me. I knew Theo, at least, would agree to, what with how guilty he apparently felt. My brother, however, was a different story. He always warned me about receiving emotions in Sendings. He'd probably consider this reaping what I sow. Arel always used that term. I wonder if he even knew what it meant. He knew the literal meaning: Our family, like many in our village in the Summerlands, were farmers, so he'd obviously know what reaping and sowing meant, but I could never tell whether or not he understood the expression. He used to do that a lot when we were younger, using words or expressions whose meanings he didn't even know, then finding out his usage was completely wrong. My twin was such a cute little kid.

This was my last thought before aforementioned brother peeked his head in. He Sent something to Yuna, I assume, because she nodded and pulled her hand away. Mumbling something about helping Rikku with a task she probably made up right then, she bowed herself out of the room.

Arel took her seat next to my bed with a light sigh. "I suppose you're about to ask me for energy?" He held out his hand to me.

I muttered, "Only if you're quiet. Yuna managed to cure some of my migraine, but you know how these things are. Sound hurts." Even my own voice was hurting my ears.

He nodded, smiling a little as I took his hand.

The flow started immediately. I stifled a light gasp at how strong his energy was. He'd been strong ever since I can remember, but this was just amazing. It felt like he was pushing all his energy to me, allowing to take as much as I need. I manage to contain the urge to drain him completely.

And the urge was great. It always was. Whenever anyone presented me with the full force of their energy, it was all I could do not to greedily take it, every last drop, leaving behind no more than an empty shell and the mind inside it. The call was there, always, urging, enticing, seducing me in its sweetness. I could barely keep my wits about my as I absorbed the Arel's power through our touching hands. The craving made me wild, made me an animal, made me want to suck out all his life and leave him a shell, empty but for its sleeping mind. Even if I did, he wouldn't die. I had done it to him before, back when I was younger and less experienced in denying the call. He slept for weeks, though, in a nearly comatose state, until he had regained his former energy.

Suddenly my flight of ecstasy ended. I opened my eyes in confusion, and saw that Arel had pulled his hand from mine. Looking slightly guarded, he murmured, "You were getting close, Myena. Watch yourself."

I sat up, wondering when I had lay down and crossing my arms lightly over my chest. My eyes were also guarded, slightly offended at the fact that he thought I didn't know my limits. "I'm neither stupid nor inexperienced anymore. I can control myself, you know."

"I do know you, Myena. You _can_ control yourself, just not well." A mischievous light sparked in his eyes, but I denied him the fight he was looking for. I was jumpy now from the large amount of energy I contained. In reconciliation, I placed my hand on my twin's shoulder, pressing some of the excess of what I'd received back into him. I think he appreciated the gesture. He knew how hard it was for me to give up the rush he had given me. If you've ever drunk about fifteen cups of coffee in rapid succession and followed them up with a couple ounces of pure sugar, you'll know how it feels to hold so much of another person's life force.

I stood up, hopping gingerly from foot to foot, still a little hyper. Okay. It was time for me to calm down, I decided. I took deep breaths, counting in my head to seven each time. Inhaling for seven, holding for seven, exhaling for seven. Inhaling, holding, exhaling. Inhaling, holding, exhaling. This half-meditation calmed my mind enough for my to think, though I still had a small caffeine-like high rushing through my veins.

I opened my eyes, eyes that I knew now looked cool, calm, and composed, though I still kept most of my caffeine-like rush. "It's now or never. Let's get this bitch out of our lives and go home."

*-.-*

Oh my God. First of all, I'm so, so, so very sorry for the wait. And while we're apologizing, I'm sorry this chapter a) sucks so hard and b) doesn't even include the exorcism. But it's eighteen pages in size eleven font and almost 10,000 words (man no kotoba!), so I thought it was long enough as-is. Next chapter will definitely include the exorcism, so don't worry. And yes, despite everything I say, you all know cutting this chapter short is just an excuse to keep DOE from ending so soon.

Yes, my lovelies, Dreams of Eternity is slowly coming to a close. After this chapter, there are two left. One of which, as you know, is the exorcism, and the last one, well... you'll see. Muaha. Torture. But not.

I again apologize for the insane, insane length of time between updates and for all the broken promises, though most of them were to myself. Get it out before Kosaikon, get it out before Otakon, before BAAF, before Christmas, before the New Year, before Katsu... This chapter has been chafing my ass for far too long, so here it is. Hee. Chafing my ass. I don't even know what that expression means.

A lot's happened in eleven months. I got a boyfriend who has been and hopefully always will be a ray of light in my constantly darkening outlook on life, and though I know he's never going to be reading this (or at least not any time soon), I feel like I should mention him, because he's one of the main reasons it took me so long to get this out. Fie on you, Fin-fin, you distracter of the kitty! Also, I started high school, which took up a huge chunk of my time, considering the mass amount of homework my teachers feel obliged to give freshmen so they're stuck inside for hours at a time instead of shooting up and having wild, unprotected sex in the back of their parents' car. Or something. So yeah. Speaking of high school, I started seriously studying Japanese history and language. Related to that, but more recently, I had to stay off the computer for two weeks straight so I could entertain our two Japanese home-stay students. A week before that, I was in Florida, and between that start of the school year and now, I've been busy almost every weekend.

So yeah. There's the end of my excuse list. At this point in time, I believe thanks are in order. In no particular order, first, I want to thank my **Fin-fin**, of whom I spoke earlier. Even though he had no idea what I was talking about all those times I ranted to him about this or one of my other writing endeavors, he always listened and gave me the best advice he could. He's probably the only thing that makes me happy, and one of my wonderful muses and I have no idea what I would do without him. Second is **Shad**. She is, beyond any and all doubt, my best and most helpful muse. She's helped me so much with absolutely everything I do, especially writing, and has given me more tricks of the trade than I can even think of. Hugs and smiles to her, and everyone who doesn't already know her go look her up right now as Th' Lady Shadow and read her stuff. She's a goddess of the written word. Third, I just _have_ to thank **Merry**. She's also one of my best muses, and also my art/fluff slave, though she rarely admits to the latter. She's such a groovy cat and my oldest and best friend. She also gets hugs and smiles, especially for all the beta-ing she's done on this chapter, not to mention on DOE as a whole. Last but definitely not least is **Anthony**. He's probably the only reason this chapter is finished, because of his constant but completely necessary nagging. Go read Reluctant Visitor now!

Also big shiny hearts and boxes of Valentine's candy that are on sale now at your local drug store to all my readers who've stuck with me for so long. I wouldn't be here if not for you guys. I love you all so much. Seriously. You guys rock.

Don't worry. I'll shut up soon. But could those of you who've read this far please-please-please go read my new one-shot The Quiet Things? I'd post the link, but last time I posted a link in a fic it just showed up as a blank space. So, it and its summary can be accessed through my profile. I'll love those of you who do read it forever...! Really...!

And wow. No that I've written an eight hundred-word author's note, I'll leave you in peace.

Again, I'm sorry for the wait!

Signing off,

~E.N.


	17. Knocking me out with your voodoo

"Mother of all, I ask of thee, aide thy children in their hour of need."

A voice sounded in my head, _Aide us, Great One, hear our plea_. I knew, from the conversation we'd had earlier, that this was Myena's way of giving us our lines, like we were actors who got a bit too drunk the night before their show.

I murmured the words, along with Tidus and Rikku, both of whom spoke just as quietly as I did.

_Just relax. This is no biggie, guys, we do stuff like this all the time. But we need you guys to be loud. We've invoked the universal powers, but they're not all-hearing, y'know? Let's try it again. Aide us, Great One, hear our plea._

"Aide us, Great One, hear our plea." I spoke loudly, with confidence I didn't have. I was driven by one thought, and one alone: I had to get Lilith out of my life. She was evil, pure evil, and I knew that she'd rather kill me than let me live in peace. What I ever did to deserve this I don't know, but I had to stop it.

Yet again, it was all up to me and my friends, who also spoke loudly and with false bravado.

Theo, to my left, lit a short stick vaguely resembling a match but longer and thicker. He dropped it onto a pile of light-green leaves that sat atop a carved stone: Sage, I had been told earlier, for cleansing. "Spirit of cleansing, hear our needs. Spirit of cleansing, cleanse us, please."

_I still do not understand why my lines are always so dull._

Even considering how dire the circumstances where, Theo's mental comment was funny. Perhaps it was funny because everything else was so serious, but I'm not sure.

Either way, he prompted a giggle out Rikku, a chuckle out of Tidus, a stifled laugh out of me, and even a smile from Arel and Myena.

_Spirit of cleansing, cleanse us, please_

We caught our cue quickly and this time spoke with true, laid-black confidence. A quick laugh loosens anybody up.

Arel took the chalice Myena had just filled with wine from in front of her and a small dagger from the center of the circle. Holding the knife's hilt with both hands, he slowly submersed it into the goblet. Speaking with his true voice, he said, "Horned God, Great king, upon this creature, justice bring."

_Upon this creature, justice bring._

We repeated the words immediately, almost without being prompted.

_Now comes the hard parts._

I glanced from Myena, the Sender, to Tidus, remembering our conversation from earlier that day. He looked a little uncomfortable, but I could tell that he was fine to go through with it.

Myena stood and slowly walked the length of the circle in which we all stood, dropping powder to the floor as she went. Once she had made a full circle, she sat down in her place. "Barley, for cleansing, mixed with garlic and cloves, for purification and exorcism. Elements of nature, lying dormant in these herbs, we call upon you. Aide us now!"

"Aide us now," Theo and Arel began to chant, glancing at Tidus, Rikku, and I in a silent signal. We joined them, our voices rising together. My fellow Spirans and I leaned forward slightly in apprehension as our chanting reached a crescendo, waiting for something to happen.

Nothing did.

I had to remind myself that this wasn't Spiran magic. I didn't know what to expect, but had already known that it would be a lot less showy than magic I was used to. But, as soon as I slowed my chanting, Myena glanced at me. _Don't stop, anyone. Keep going, just as loud, and stand up._

Apparently she'd sent this command to all of us, because everyone obeyed it almost in unison.

"Aide us now!" We were practically shouting now, lost in the fervor as Myena bent slowly, a lit match-stick in her hand. She gently touched the flame to the ground herbs, igniting them immediately. Shaking the stick out, she dropped that as well into the flame.

_Now, keep chanting._ I recognized the presence in my mind as being Arel's this time. _Myena's going to start the next part._

"Fire, great destroyer, great cleanser, we call unto thee! We invoke thee! Join our circle, and lend us thy power and strength!" The flaming ring surrounding us flared up to our waists, flickering and dancing in the background. I looked around at my companions and saw them all entranced by the flame, and once I gazed into its depths, I found it near impossible to look away. The blue and oranges really did resemble dancing figures, and the yellow licked at the open air above it.

I'm not sure what happened then. I might have gone into a trance for all I know. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me. There were scents in the air from the herbs being consumed by the fire, creating an incense that was possibly effecting me more than was healthy. All I knew was that the flames were impossible to look away from. They were beautiful, powerful, all-consuming, as they writhed and danced. The air was filled with their fragrant perfume as smoke filled the room. The entire world melted away, and for all I knew, all that was left of Spira was me and that fire.

_Okay, guys, now comes the fun part: we get to spin around in circles! _Myena's voice jolted me back to reality. I blinked a few times, trying to orient myself with the world again. _Start walking slowly to your right._

As if taking up some unspoken clue, the Angels among us started chanting in a language I couldn't understand. Slowly we started walking the circumference of the circle, our steps completely in time with each other. Our feet created a sort of natural rhythm for us to follow, sounding like the drums of war on your hardwood floor. Slowly, without realizing it, we increased our speed, until we were nearly flying. Everything blurred together, a rush of colors, with certain details standing out: the swirl of Rikku's eye, a curl of smoke from the homemade incense, the firelight glinting off Tidus's hair. These details stood out from the rest, falsifying everything else in the room. I closed my eyes in an attempt to steady my thoughts from the dizziness I was beginning to feel.

Rikku gasped suddenly, prompting me to re-open my eyes almost immediately after closing them.

"What is it?" my cousin asked all of us and none of us, her eyes wide and fearful.

Tidus also looked afraid, panic in his eyes and posture, his steps slowing.

_Keep going!_ Myena was in our heads again, straining to concentrate on Sending to us and doing whatever she had to for the spell. I immediately took her command, hoping that it would urge my fellow Spiran to, as well, both of whom seemed to be standing in shock of something I couldn't even see.

As I ran, I squinted into the seemingly empty air in front of me. Slowly, almost painfully slowly, the air seemed to cloud in the exact center of the circle. The mist began to take form, still painfully slowly, narrowing here, widening there, until it became the outline of a young woman's form, petite and thin, hair cut short to her ears, with a figure to die for. As she became more defined, I took note of her patchwork of clothing: nothing that matched, everything seeming to be made of sewn-together scraps that were barely big enough to cover her. Her black eyes glinted with anger and confused fear, yet there was a knowledge behind them that spoke volumes into her understanding of the situation. As she looked around, sizing us up, probably calculating her odds in a fight against the six of us, those sharp eyes took on a new hardness, the sort of tone that suggested blind determination: the pointless blindness of a soldier rushing into battle alone, armed with nothing but his own confidence and patriotism against thousands of well-trained troops armed with, I don't know, flamethrowers. She stood from her crouching position and turned to face me.

As soon as the woman's eyes met mine, they took on a strange glint: something animalistic, wild, like a fiend that has just been released from a cage after many weeks of torment. Her lips peeled back to form a deranged, teeth-bearing grin.

She took a step toward me "Yuna…" She whispered my name with as much reverence as I'd once murmured Yevon's in prayer, as though I were some magnificent being she had finally gotten to meet after years of worship.

When had I stopped moving? When had everyone stopped? It was like everything was paused mid-moment. Everyone's eyes were on me, me and that blasted woman, taking in the scene about to unfurl between us. I couldn't move my eyes from those piercing black ones they were locked with. I tried to look to Tidus for help, but I couldn't move at all, not even to avert my gaze.

I felt cold hands grab my forearms. Even through the cotton sleeves of the robe I was given to wear for the ritual, I could feel the chill of her skin deep in my bones. So cold… suddenly everything was so cold. Even with the fire blazing behind me, everything seemed to be permeated with cold. I heard a rushing in my ears. So cold…

I could hardly see. Black clouds floated in and out of my vision, obscuring everything and then dissipating completely, only to reappear moments later, as thick as before. And always, this bone-deep cold…

My legs turned to rope. I had no idea how I managed to stand on them at all, when I realized that I wasn't actually standing: the woman was holding me up, and she barely even looked taxed from it. That was when I realized, through the confusion and fear, that this was no woman: this was our demon. This was Lilith.

What happened next, I'm not exactly sure on. I was so tired, everything seemed to be surrounded by a thick fog. I remember suddenly looking away from the demon's eyes. I remember falling to my knees on the cold floor. Everything was cold… so cold. I was kneeling, and I turned to look at the cold fire dancing behind me. I remember it looking so beautifully warm, so wonderfully inviting. But when I reached to my hand to touch it, there was no heat to it at all. If anything, I felt like I had just plunged my hand into a bucket of cold water.

Someone grabbed my arm. I turned to see Rikku, her hand tightly clenching my wrist. Her lips mouthed my name, but I could hear nothing. Only that terrible rushing of water in my ears, roaring louder than any waterfall I'd ever encountered, could be heard. I looked down at my hand, thinking how strange it was that the skin was so puckered and shiny, when I couldn't feel anything.

I felt as though I was dreaming. I looked around, trying to think past the dark cloud that seemed to have invaded my senses. Arel and Theo were holding Lilith by the arms, while Myena reached for the dagger they'd consecrated only moments before. The dagger in hand, she rushed across the small circle back to the demon and her partners.

There may have been a struggle. There may not have. I hardly knew at this point, could hardly comprehend the situation I had been somehow dragged into. Why us? Why us? Why did it have to be me, sitting here with Rikku fussing over my hand, a voice in my mind screaming at me to concentrate, which seemed silly, when I could barely concentrate enough to keep myself breathing, out of all the people in all of time? Why?

_Dammit, Yuna, what is _wrong_ with you? Concentrate, I said! We need you!_

I tried to shove away the cloud covering my mind. Concentrate, concentrate… but on what? What was going on? Where was I, again?

Concentrate. The spell. Lilith. We had to banish her. Concentrate. Close your eyes. Concentrate. I stood, slowly, shakily, my legs still not feeling right. Rikku looked to me, confused, as though for guidance. With a smile, I grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet. Slowly, slowly, I began to walk the circumference of the circle, still grasping Rikku's hand. I lead her with me, our feet beating out a rhythm to follow. Tidus slowly joined us, cautious, knowing that none of us knew for sure what we were doing.

Myena, clutching the dagger tightly in her hand, Sent, _Move faster! You have to run the circle so we have a barrier of movement. Make a wall around us._

I looked to Rikku. Her eyes met mine, and she gave me a look that said, "Well, we have to at least _try_."

I nodded and quickened my pace. Tidus and Rikku followed suite, faster and faster until we really were running, until our shapes seemed to blur with everything around us, lost in a circling void, a whirlpool made of bodies and air. Our feet stomped a rhythm like drums, pounding and hammering on the wood floor.

And then it happened. Our shapes had blurred in such a strange way that there was a blue-white film in the air where our bodies had been, as tall as the tallest among us was. We had created a barrier using only motion and thought. I felt the magic stirring inside me like an the call of a battle-hungry aeon, seducing me into using it for the first time since the defeat of Sin. Afraid of what could happen should I use it, I tried to shove the feelings and needs away into the very depths of my soul.

Still spinning, afraid that stopping would erase all we'd done, Rikku, Tidus, and I watched in horror as Myena plunged the dagger into Lilith's stomach. A wind rose seemingly from the floor under the Angel and demon, catching their hair and clothing, holding it away from their bodies. A look of intense concentration still creasing her brow, Myena drove the knife deeper into Lilith's stomach.

There was a rushing in my ears. A void of blackness, completely lacking in oxygen, seemed to close in around all of us. Gasping for air that didn't exist, still running as fast as we could, everything suspended in time, a single scream rang above the seemingly-all-consuming tinnitus in my ears.

I opened my eyes, wondering when I'd shut them, and saw Lilith, blood staining her bare abdomen and running from her mouth and nose. Her body sagged in Myena's grip on her neck (when had that happened?) and on the dagger stuck almost through her. Her black eyes now blank and soulless stared into and passed Myena's brown ones, accusingly silent, no longer holding any flame of passion or hatred.

Suddenly, everything was jarringly silent. The rushing noise was gone, and along with Rikku and Tidus I sank to me knees, gasping for breath. Slowly, my eyes traced the scene around me, taking in every detail. Lilith's body had disappeared somehow, leaving no trace of having ever existed. Myena's hands, covered in so much blood a moment before that it had nearly dripped off them, were completely clean and spotless, as though nothing had ever marred their perfect surface. Arel and Theo's eyes were locked, and they were apparently silently discussing something important.

Myena sighed suddenly, apparently having been allowed into their conversation, and said, "We'll have to go to Reaoren later anyway. We can see if the projection worked then."

Worked? My nervous eyes met Tidus'. "What do you mean, 'see if it worked?' Why wouldn't it?" What wasn't she telling us?

Sighing again, she poured the holy water onto the fire, muttering a prayer of thanks and dispelling. Theo, noticing his partner wouldn't be answering, explained, "The image you saw of Lilith was not really her. You see, one of her powers is the power to teleport, allowing her to move at will between dimensions. When we were chanting, we called her to Spira, but not entirely. We froze her between dimensions, so only her spirit – her soul, if you will – was present, and her body stayed in her home dimension, Reaoren. The athame Myena stabbed her with was blessed, enabling her to stab Lilith's spirit's reflection and injure her body. There is a higher likelihood that she's dead than that she's alive, but since there are ways to get around the exorcism of the spirit – say, for example, we only caught a small portion of her spirit, and not the whole thing; or she had an amulet that seals part of her soul away, but since those are very rare and usually made badly, not to mention only work while worn, it's not very likely – we still have to go and find her home in her dimension, so we can make sure her body has no life left over in it, then dispose of it."

"Oh." Of course there would be nothing to worry about. That was ridiculous. They'd been doing this a long time. They knew what they were doing. There was nothing to worry about. "But that's it? I mean… you don't have to do anything else?"

"Yuna." Myena's back was to me as she picked up the tools she'd used for the ritual. "No offense, but you weren't the one doing the hard work. While you were running around in a circle, the rest of us were meditating, and calling energies and entities. It takes a lot of concentration and discipline to be able to do this spell, and the reason it looked so simple is because we're the best in Eden. We've trained our entire lives to be able to exorcise, and, with all due respect, High Summoner, it's probably more difficult than anything you'll ever witness again, not to mention be able to do yourself."

A blush rose on my cheeks, and I looked to the floor. "I'm sorry… I had no idea." Out of habit, I sank into a little bow.

Arel sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. _Don't worry about it. Myena gets like this after particularly taxing spells. She's just worn out. Don't think too hard on it._

I smiled up at him, comforted a little. "What will happen now? Do you guys have to go back to Eden?"

"Well," Theo interjected, "first of all, we have to go to Reaoren and see if Lilith is really dead or not. But after that, we will still have a little time before we have to report back to the Nameless."

I frowned, unfamiliar with the term. "Nameless?"

"Our boss," Theo explained casually. "Sexless and ageless, to call upon its true name is to call its attention to you, and we have been taught since birth to never call on it unless we need its help."

"So you don't have to leave yet?" Rikku, who'd been quite obviously eavesdropping the whole time. At the shake of Theo's head, Rikku squealed in glee. "You can come to Yunie's birthday party!"

"Birthday party…?" Realization hit me in the face like a brick (Yes, a brick. Thrown at my face. Just don't question it). It had to close to my birthday. I groped in my mind for the date today. It had to be… May twenty-eighth? That meant that my birthday was in only nine days. Barely over a week. What with all this Lilith business, I had completely forgotten. I blushed again, for the second time in less than three minutes. "Do we have to have a party?"

Rikku regarded me with a look that clearly questioned my insanity. "Yunie. You're turning eighteen, in case you forgot. Among the al Bhed, you're an adult. You can do anything other adults can do! Remember? And since you're al Bhed, you're counted as an adult to the rest of Spira, too! No twenty-one rule for you!"

I winced at the realization. "Hence why I'm trying to forget it. I'm going to be an adult, and have responsibilities, and be expected to and grow up and marry and have and raise children! I mean, I'd love to, but I really don't know much about them." Even when I was one, I didn't understand them. I always had a mission, something I was destined to do. Besides, I had never learned how to raise a child, never had any experience. Instead of playing with dollies and learning how to cook, I was reading the scriptures and praying to the Fayth. I don't know how to change diapers, or sing lullabies, or breastfeed (thought I assume that one is pretty straightforward), or anything else mothers are supposed to know. I was never even supposed to reach adulthood. I was supposed to die for Sin. It was what my life was devoted to. This birthday was never supposed to happen.

Meanwhile, Myena was exchanging looks with Arel and Theo. "I suppose we could come back for a few more days before reporting into Eden…"

My cousin jumped happily in the air, yipping in delight. "Woo-hoo! Party! I'm so going to call everyone! We'll have music, and food, and guests from all over Spira, and Yuna, you don't mind if I invite Brother, do you? He's got even more connections than Pops does! He can get us everything we need, probably for free! Woo! This is gonna be great!" With that, she bounded up the stairs and to her room, presumably to use her Commsphere to call the Airship, Myena shouting back to her to bring down the robe she'd worn for the exorcism.

Theo turned to me. "Thank you, Lady Yuna, for your help. We could not have done the ritual without you."

I blushed. "It was nothing, really. Thank you guys for your help! So, we don't need to worry about Lilith anymore?"

The Angel grinned. "Trust me, it is all in our hands now."

-.-

OMFGS. OMFGS. I am SO sorry about how long it took to complete this chapter. A year, and only a measly eight pages? I'm so. So. So. Sorry. I love you all. :hearts:

Um. Yes. Anyone who's still reading this from before, I love you. And any new readers… welcome! XD. Don't expect updates very often, haha. The last one was a year after the one before it, and so is this one. Heh. Oops? At least I don't upload crappy, dinky little chapters with a year in between them. Yay for 4,000 word chapters!

But yes. This chapter was really hard to write, but it was a lot of fun. It really was a special experience for me. I did lots of research and lots of praying for an answer as to how to write this chapter. Because of that, I hope it turned out well.

The ritual Theo, Arel, and Myena do in this can be done in your very own home! XD But always be careful with open flames, children. While it can be done, I'd caution you NOT to try it, and if you do, for god's sake, don't be stupid XD. Don't REALLY light your floor on fire. Then I'd have to track you down and beat you with a stupid stick XD.

In response to a reviewer who said I should "question my sexuality:" I'm bisexual. I'm completely out of the closet, and I don't even attempt to be heterosexual anymore. I said that in one of the first chapters, but I guess I must have taken it out after editing the chapter a bit, or something like that.

In response to all the readers who told me to hurry my ass up: I love you, and I'm sorry. Your reviews really DID make me want to continue on with this project, though. Whenever I got a new review, I'd open up good old Microsoft Word and at least TRY to get more written. So review! I'll love you forever! AND it'll make me write faster!

So yes. There's only one chapter left. And then it's curtains for DOE. Finally XD.

Oh, and I uploaded a new fic I've been working on on and off for a looooong time, called Helpless. If it's not too much trouble, could you please read it and leave me a review? Pleeease? .;;;

So yeah. That's it. Um… bai? XDD.

Moo,

E.N.

(P.S.: I'm far too lazy to proofread this entire thing. If anything makes noooo sense at all, feel free to drop me a line, and I'll explain/fix it)


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